


Vegetables

by HellHathPie986



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Adventure, Brotherly Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-03-29 12:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19019770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellHathPie986/pseuds/HellHathPie986
Summary: Vegeta finds himself on an unknown world with no memory of how he got there or who he is. An adventure story of how teenage Vegeta travels the universe with Tarble to reclaim his memories. Also posted to ff.net





	1. Big Brother's Pride

Young Prince Vegeta poked his head around the corner of the door frame, his curiosity getting the better of him. He'd been told to stay away from this end of the royal palace since his mother wasn't feeling well, but he just had to see his new baby brother. He'd managed to find the nursery easily enough, and the four-year-old was somewhat surprised she wasn't in the room. He glanced around, hoping to find her, but only saw nurses milling about the place and fussing over a bundle of fabric one of the old ladies was holding. They were all old, with lines on their faces creased around the corners of their eyes and mouths. Everyone was excited about the new birth, and Vegeta just wanted to see the damned thing.

He debated whether it was a good idea to burst in there like he owned the place, asserting his right as the eldest prince of all Saiyans. Then again, word could get to his father and he could be brutally scolded. His father had been very absolute, after all.

Vegeta decided just to hang back. Maybe the bundle the nurse was carrying would be exposed at some point. He just wanted to see the baby's face, that was it. And then he'd go. He couldn't understand why everyone was so up in arms over this thing anyways. Babies were born all the time! He hoped there hadn't been this amount of unnecessary parading when he'd been born. Maybe this was why father wanted him to stay away, it was beginning to get on his nerves.

He suddenly saw movement over the top of the covers. The baby was grasping for something and soon enough uttering pathetic sobs. The nurse reached for a bottle and held it for him which seemed to quiet the little thing down. Vegeta strained a little harder, hoping to catch a glimpse so he could finally go.

"And what do you think you're doing, young man?" One of the nurses called out, catching him in the act. Vegeta balked when his position was given away and contemplated running. He decided not to though, warriors don't run. He stood straight and firm, walking into the room.

"I want to see the baby." He explained in a demanding tone, challenging any of them to say otherwise. The old woman holding the infant just chuckled and beckoned him over. The prince blinked, wondering if it was really that easy. As he approached, she knelt.

"Be careful, now. Even if he is your brother, he's still quite fragile." She warned, pulling some of the nursery blanket back. Vegeta peered over the bundle with childish fascination. It was hard for many of the staff in the building to remember his age, but in this moment he looked as much like a little boy as the day he was born.

"Wow." He mused, realizing he'd let his thoughts slip over his tongue and cleared his throat, trying to cover up the exclamation. The nurse didn't call him out though. It was refreshing to see the prince with an expression other than anger.

The baby was grasping the bottle between his chubby little hands, drinking hungrily, and not seeming to notice anything else in the room. His hair was dark and spiked like his older brother and Vegeta felt something wash over himself that he couldn't really understand until he thought it over a bit.

Pride. Vegeta felt the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth but he couldn't find the effort to care if someone saw. After all, everyone in the room was smiling like an idiot.

"Would you like to hold him?" The old lady asked, earning his full and undivided attention. His first instinct was to say yes, yes, give me my damn brother. However, as he thought it over, he chewed on the idea. She seemed to sense his hesitation.

"Don't worry, you won't harm him if you're gentle." She stated reassuringly. Vegeta's eyes lit up and he couldn't help the excited inhale of breath he sucked in.

"Alright, we'll have you sit in the chair." She instructed, standing and walking over to a plush chair in the corner of the room. He dashed over to the thing and pulled himself up, sitting as straight as he could. "You'll have to cross your legs." Vegeta immediately did as he was told, looking up expectantly when he did, obvious impatience causing him to squirm in his seat. The nurse smiled and carefully unfolded her arms, gently setting the baby into the lap of his older brother. Vegeta stared in awe at the little thing as he drank his milk, capturing every detail he could see as well as he could.

"Make sure to support his head." The nurse stated, taking hold of his arms and moving them to be positioned in a way as to not drop the baby. Vegeta obeyed without contesting, his eyes glued to the infant in front of him. He looked so soft and doughy, like the cook was intending to bake him into bread. The bundle was warm and surprisingly heavy, and Vegeta caught himself holding on a little tighter.

"Well, what do you think?" The nurse asked. He didn't move his eyes from his brother as he spoke.

"He looks useless." Vegeta muttered, shifting his hold on the baby and using his now free hand to touch his jet-black hair. It was unbelievably soft as he ran his fingers along the littler boy's scalp. The nurse chuckled.

"Yes, babies aren't yet trained for battle, my prince. Even you had to do your own rigorous training as soon as you were standing."

The baby glanced around, as if suddenly aware he wasn't alone with his bottle. He tried to look at the hand stroking the crown of his head but was unsuccessful until his eyes settled on Vegeta's. He stopped sucking and stared, causing Vegeta to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"W-What's wrong with him?" He asked skeptically. He wasn't given a response though as the little boy let go of the bottle, letting it fall into his lap. Giggling and tiny chubby hands grasping for his nose made the older prince's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"He's curious about his big brother." One of the nurses offered. Vegeta was at a loss for what to do and forced his mind to go back to basic greeting techniques. What did people do in these situations? They bowed, exchanged pleasantries. This, however, didn't seem to warrant something so formal. He'd seen people grasp and shake hands before, usually between acquaintances and good friends. He held a hand over the little boy, which seemed to be appreciated as the younger reached up and took hold of his first finger and pinky. A smile cracked open Vegeta's serious expression, much to the delight of the nurses around.

The sound of a man clearing his throat caused everyone to turn and look at the doorway. Vegeta's expression collapsed when he found the brother of his mom standing there.

"Well would you look at that, the newly arrived prince." He mused, slowly walking into the room with his arms folded over his chest.

"Oritz," The nurse that had been holding the baby greeted coldly, "What brings you here?" Her voice was bleak and displeased, a stark contrast to how she'd been talking to Vegeta. He didn't even acknowledge the woman as he stopped in front of his nephews.

"Is that your new brother?" He asked the young prince, earning a glare in response. There were very few who dared to speak to him like any other young child, and those who did weren't high on his list of priorities. "Funny, I seem to remember your father specifically telling you not to go anywhere near this side of the palace."

Vegeta bristled, his expression souring even greater.

"I don't need you telling me what to do." He shot back. The baby in his lap whimpered tentatively. "If I wanted I could have you skinned, and father wouldn't bat an eye." He threatened, a malicious grin carving into his face. Oritz scoffed and raised his hands in defense.

"Now, there's no need for that, my prince." He stated, getting down on one knee and placing a hand on the baby's head. Vegeta frowned. Uncle Oritz wasn't tall, but he was slightly taller than the king. His hair was black like most other Saiyans and stood straight up, not nearly as high as either King or Prince Vegeta, though. His widow's peak was smaller instead of an exaggerated point, and his bulk came mostly from the amount of food he ate rather than the battles he'd won. Oritz claimed he was more of a strategist, but Vegeta knew he was just a coward. The only reason he even had a role in the Saiyan military and government was because of the queen.

Oritz nudged his head in the direction of the door. "Come on. Princes aren't meant to look after babies, let's leave that to the old women." He stated simply, raising a hand overhead and snapping his fingers. The gesture earned him a scowl from everyone in that room, nevertheless the baby was once again in the arms of a nurse.

Vegeta hopped down and stormed passed the man who followed with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

~0~

King Vegeta glared menacingly at his son who stood his ground with fierce determination in his eyes. As angry as the man was for being disobeyed by his own child, he couldn't help feeling proud of the boy's willingness to accept blame for his actions. He knew Oritz was just a snake looking to jostle up some trouble and was going to have a word with him about keeping worthless information to himself. The real reason he hadn't wanted the boy near the newborn or his mother was because of his ridiculous capacity of getting attached. He was trying to break the habit early, before it caused his firstborn a world of trouble.

The prince wasn't hopelessly devoted to his mother, but he was certainly more dependent than the king would like to admit. Of course, this flaw was overlooked easily enough with his impressive power level which was beginning to rival the king himself. However, he didn't need the heir to his throne forming needless attachments with a newborn infant. Especially after learning the child had been born with a ridiculously low-class power level.

"Boy, what did I tell you?" He said evenly, impressed when the child didn't even flinch.

"To stay away from mother until she is well again." The prince replied. The king scoffed, angry at what a waste of time this session was. His son was self-sufficient, any future lessons would easily cure him of his foolish emotional states, and the boy knew what he'd done was disapproved of.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" The king drawled, rolling his eyes.

"I apologize and humbly ask your forgiveness, father." He replied, bowing low. The young Vegeta hadn't missed his father's unamused features, grinning to himself when he knew Oritz was more of a nuisance to the King than his prodigy son.

King Vegeta flicked his hand back and forth, dismissing the boy.

"To the training chambers. I want six hours of practice completed." He ordered. The prince did as he was told, marching off and leaving the two adults alone.

"My king, are you sure your punishment was harsh enough? He deliberately disobeyed you…" Oritz was cut off by a snarl from the king.

"You think I have time to monitor even move my son makes? Do you think I was the type to listen to every word my own father would command?" He demanded with a ruthless glare. Oritz shriveled back. "I'm aware he gets his idiotic emotional state from his mother, and if you ever find yourself needing to instruct me on how to raise my son again, I suggest you ask Lord Frieza himself to end your miserable life before I get the chance."

The king glared long and hard until Oritz finally got the message, apologized, bowed, and left as quickly as possible.

~0~

A/N: i must confess, i did actually post this to ff.net a while ago, but i was just on here and realized ao3 doesn't have a separate db/dbz/dbs category system, it's just dragon ball, and i was super excited because i actually wanted to label this as dbs instead of dbz, but even though tarble is mentioned in super, they don't have a tag for him on ff, only in the dbz category. blarg. so here we are! if you have read it there, sorry for the reprint, if you haven't, then i hope you liked it!

i thirst for comments so please consider writing a review! thanks!


	2. Betrayal

Three Months Later

Prince Vegeta dashed along the corridor, whizzing passed the palace staff while he made his rounds as erratic as possible. The first time he'd gone to see his brother was purely out of scientific curiosity. He couldn't just spend his time wondering what the kid looked like, it was bad for his focus. The next time he'd gone was a month later. He figured it was reasonable, babies grew very fast, so it was like seeing a whole new person. The kid was just starting to crawl with his older brother encouraging him to go from belly crawling to hands and knees crawling. He figured it was his duty as the older sibling to be a good role model and challenge his younger brother to grow and improve. That was all.

The next time he'd gone was two weeks later. He figured it was his duty as a teacher to keep some sort of regular appearance. After all, consistency is key.

Eventually his resolve just continued to break down until he was visiting his new brother every day, or every other day depending on his training regime. He was smart though and did his best to throw off the palace staff by looking as if he was going anywhere but the medical wing. Most of the Saiyans couldn't have cared less where the prince was running off to, but he wasn't willing to chance having people talk. He'd been scolded by father once and knew it was just a formality for him to assert his power. If the man had really cared enough, he would have been sending Vegeta on more missions, but instead he was spending all his time training.

The only people who knew about his nursery visits were the attendants, and the head nurse there seemed to have a sixth sense for when an authority figure would walk by. At her signal, Prince Vegeta would hide until she gave the all clear when the person, usually Uncle Oritz, left.

Vegeta was sitting on his knees with his little brother laying on his back in front of him.

"Alright, we're going to learn how to do sit ups." He announced, spreading his knees apart and scooting forward until he was able to look straight down at the baby. He took hold of the younger's hands and held them straight in front of him until he was pulling the baby's full weight up from the ground. He cooed intriguingly at the act, glancing around while his older brother sat him up. Next, Vegeta gently lowered him back to the ground, waited a moment, and then pulled him back into a sitting position.

"Try to sit up straight without my help." He encouraged, gently releasing the baby's hands until he could feel his little brother was just going to end up flopping backwards and smacking his head into the ground. He gripped tighter and patiently tried to instruct his little brother again. It took a few tries, but eventually the little boy was able to understand his task and managed to steady himself for a few moments.

The head nurse smiled as she watched their interactions, Vegeta beaming at the little boy's progress with the baby giggling and babbling the best he could in return. It was sad to think the only aspect the king was concerned with was his youngest's power level. Especially since, with his older brother's lessons, he'd nearly doubled in strength in just three months. Of course, the actual level was still way below what the king had in mind. Honestly, his older son had just set the bar too high upon his birth. She didn't want to mention that, though. Not when Vegeta was having such a splendid time with his little brother, going on and on about the duties of a prince while teaching him how to be strong.

Now he was no longer pulling his little brother to sit up. Instead, he was holding his hands as an anchor point for the little one to use to pull himself up. The baby grunted at the exertion, his expression as serious as his brother's usually was as he was managing to slowly, but surely, pull himself into a sitting position. Eventually he was seated at a ninety-degree angle and Vegeta cheered, praising the little one as he lowered himself back down with heavy breaths.

"Good work, Tarble! That was perfect! You'll be standing and sparring in no time!" He exclaimed, ruffling the little Saiyan's hair as the baby giggled happily.

"Tarble?" The nurse asked, wondering if the king and queen had finally gotten around to naming their newest son. He was healthy enough and thriving, so it shouldn't have taken this long to christen him with a name. Vegeta wrinkled his nose.

"I asked father if he had a name yet and he asked what for." Vegeta muttered, holding his hands in place as Tarble began trying to sit up once again. The nurse sighed.

"Is it true what the staff says?" He asked, earning a questioning expression from the old woman. "I hear them talking. Is father really going to send him away to another planet?"

She flinched at the thought, taking note of the prince's sullen expression. She had also heard those accusations, and considering the king was never in good spirits these days it was very likely to happen.

"Don't dwell on such hideous rumors." She replied, walking over and kneeling beside him. Tarble had done a full sit up again and was back to laying on the ground, panting from the exertion. She placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "What you're doing now, the time you're spending with him, is more important than trying to listen to some useless chatter." She said hopefully. After all, no matter what the king decided to do was law, there was nothing anybody could do about it.

Vegeta tucked his hands under Tarble's armpits and lifted him into the air, earning a gleeful giggle and big happy baby smile. He couldn't help grinning back as he brought his little brother into his arms for a tight hug. The nurse pretended to not hear him sniffle pathetically as Tarble explored his older brother's hair and ears. Instead she stood, walking over to the fridge for a bottle.

"It's about time he was fed. Would you like to do the honors?" She asked, knowing the answer. Vegeta nodded, wiping his eyes and standing up. He gently lifted himself into the air and hovered over to the chair in the corner, setting down and seating himself comfortably. He rearranged his baby brother, remembering to support his oversized head as he was handed a warm bottle. He barely held it for a moment before Tarble snatched it from his hands and stuck it in his mouth.

He felt something tickling at his sides and looked down to find Tarble's tail flicking absentmindedly. Recently he'd been learning to keep his own tail wrapped around his waist for safety, and his instructors told him the best way to make it second nature was to practice as often as possible. Now, though, he unwrapped his tail and nudged it against Tarble's, tangling it around his brother's as he happily continued eating. Halfway through his bottle, the baby yawned heavily, looking as if he was going to fall asleep right then and there.

"Are you tired?" Vegeta murmured, yawning as well and settling more comfortably into the chair. "Me too. Father has me training nearly all day long." He stated, holding the bottle up when it was just about to fall. Just as the youngest prince finished his meal, he closed his eyes and cozied up to his brother for a nap. Vegeta thought about handing him off to the nurse as usual when his brother fell asleep, but instead he closed his eyes and soon enough was breathing slow and deep.

The nurse turned to see why the boys had gotten so quiet to find them curled up together on the chair fast asleep. She smiled, wishing she could capture this moment forever. It would be quite the memory as she was sure both boys would grow up to be fearsome men. She hoped the older brother would be able to remember these moments and treasure them when he eventually took over the throne as king. The people needed a strong ruler, but compassion was hard to come by these days.

"Oh dear. The king isn't going to like this."

The nurse spun on her heels and her stomach dropped. Somehow Oritz had snuck into the room without her noticing, smiling devilishly as if he'd found out some deep dark secret.

"Oritz, is there a reason you find this room so fascinating? If only our queen wasn't so ill, maybe then you'd learn to stay away." She chided, standing firm in front of the boys. The man glowered at her.

"Whether my sister was here or not, would you think the king would allow this?" He asked, gesturing with his hand to the two boys behind her. She folded her arms.

"And what of it? They're not harming anyone! They're children, Oritz." She replied, wondering how she was going to get him to leave without running to the king like some whiny brat.

"Can you blame me for being a concerned uncle? I don't want my nephews growing up learning it's alright to disobey their father, the king of all Saiyans." He stated simply, walking by her to the little ones still sleeping in the chair. Oritz shook Vegeta by the shoulder and he slowly opened his eyes.

"My young prince, haven't we already discussed this?" He asked in a disgustingly sweet tone. "Come now, your father won't be pleased."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes dangerously. He found the resolve to calmly set his little brother aside, but once he was out of harm's way he sprang to his feet and snagged his uncle by the front of his shirt.

"My father was a fool for allowing a coward like you into his inner circle." Vegeta snarled, looking as menacing as a four-year-old could. He pulled the man closer and further down, forcing him to his eye level. "Do not forget that while I am young my strength is nearly the same as my father's, the strongest Saiyan there is, and it is much more difficult for me to control." He warned, a sinister smile digging into the corner of his mouth. Oritz swallowed heavily at the threat, knowing from the few training sessions he'd watched that the kid wasn't joking. He was strong but lacked control. However, every day he saw leaps and bounds in improvement and it was only a matter of time before he'd be the most formidable threat in the universe.

Maybe even stronger than Frieza.

The young prince thrust his uncle away, causing him to stumble until he inevitably fell. He sat there for a minute, cowering under the prince's glare, until he eventually climbed to his feet and dashed away.

"You really are your father's son." The nurse mused, shaking her head. Vegeta's expression eventually dropped from furious to worry as he glanced down at his little brother. Tarble was awake and whimpering pathetically. Vegeta sat beside him, dragging his finger's through his brother's hair. He knew he wasn't in the clear just yet. Oritz had a habit of running to the king every time something inconvenienced him in the slightest. He was sure the man was even running to his father right now; running to the one man Vegeta wasn't able to threaten or intimidate. While he was sure his father would be infinitely angrier at the interruption to his day, he was also sure he'd be in a lot of trouble for disobeying him twice on the same subject. He wasn't worried about himself, especially when he thought of how angry his father was going to be towards Oritz. It would be worth it enough to watch his uncle snivel and beg for forgiveness. Nevertheless, he couldn't help being apprehensive about the rumors that had been going around.

He'd read the reports on his brother about his power level and it was pathetic at best. It was no wonder there was a hush among the castle and his brother was being kept secluded in a far room without even a name. Vegeta wondered if his father had even come to visit his infant son at all. The king wasn't one to be sentimental, and while he respected his father more than anyone, he knew this was going to be the tipping point.

"Nurse?" Vegeta spoke up, still running his fingers along Tarble's scalp.

"Yes?" She asked, giving him her full attention.

"Do you have any paper and something to write with?"

She gave him a quizzical look but went off to search. She managed to find a simple white sheet and a pen.

"Could you write something for me?" He asked, looking her in the eye. She nodded.

"Of course." She replied, walking over a dresser to use it as a flat surface.

"Could you write 'My name is Tarble. Please look after me' on it?" He asked. She did so, her heart skipping a beat when she realized what the older prince was thinking. "He'll need good clothes and lots of food." Vegeta said, hopping down from the chair. Tarble gurgled something and rolled over onto his stomach, scooting to the edge of the chair trying to follow his brother. "Please hide the letter somewhere on him." He instructed as he pat the little boy on the head one last time.

"Of course, my prince." She replied, bowing. Vegeta bowed in return, then turned and headed for the door, turning down the corridor as he heard his brother begin to cry. The older prince made a fist, determined to accept whatever was coming to him.

~0~

Vegeta watched as the pod shot out into the sky, remembering the cries of distress his brother was screaming as loud as possible before he was locked away in the small capsule. He didn't even flinch, though, knowing if he had it might have made this situation infinitely worse. He wished for the best for little Tarble, relieved that he'd managed to change the coordinates on the infant exploration pod with minutes to spare. His father had allowed him to say goodbye once last time and as he'd stood over his brother, he stealthily managed to input another destination into the navigation system. It was a simple peaceful little planet with small native creatures and not nearly enough precious mineral deposits for Frieza to ever bother excavating. He didn't like to admit it, but the rumors bothered him so much that he'd began wondering if it was smarter to send his brother away before his father got to choose some horrific planet for him to be sent to. He'd spent a good deal of time researching reasonable planets for his low-level brother to be sent off to and came across this little world tucked in a safe pocket in the galaxy and instantly memorized the coordinates.

He'd been right as well, the king wanted his youngest to be sent to a planet with giant lizards roaming the surface called Earth, but it looked as if some other low-class infant would have to be sent there instead.

The existence of Tarble had been taken care of with as low of a profile as possible. With his mother still sick in bed, it was easy enough to declare the youngest Saiyan prince had died in infancy of natural causes, so as to not raise suspicions. The last thing the king wanted was to be associated with such a weak offspring.

Vegeta turned stiffly and marched away when the space pod was no longer in view. He'd been instructed to spend the evening in a training chamber until he was so exhausted he was no longer able to stand. Oritz, on the other hand, had been banished from his positions in the military and the government, so Vegeta was glad he'd be able to train with such good news at his disposal.

~0~

Oritz paced back and forth, muttering angrily to himself.

"That damn brat. Ever since he was born he's been nothing but trouble! The king thinks he could do no wrong! Bah!" He exclaimed, turning to his audience who was seated on a grand chair in the middle of the room. The building they were in was constructed mainly for when Frieza would visit and discuss with the king about tactical strategies and other reports. However, the tyrant wasn't here at the moment and so Zarbon saw no harm in sitting in the chair himself. He was inspecting his nails, bored at the news he'd received. When Oritz called him claiming to have important information, he'd expected something a little more impressive than being bested by his toddler nephew.

"Tell me again, Oritz, why did you call me here?" He asked dryly. He appreciated the man's lack of shame for blowing the whistle on the Saiyan peoples' every secret, but he was beginning to get tired of pretending to care.

"I'm just so angry I could turn Super Saiyan!" He shouted, throwing his hands into the air. Zarbon raised an eyebrow.

"Super Saiyan?" He asked, his interests piqued.

"Yes, legend has it that once every thousand years a Saiyan makes history by being able to transform into the mightiest warrior in the universe. He possesses so much power that his hair glows golden and his eyes turn blue." He explained. Zarbon uncrossed his legs and sat forward.

"Is that so? And how does one attain such a power?" He probed further, jotting down mental notes to pass on to his master later.

"No one knows for certain. It's stated to be emotional strain and only the elite can reach such a power, but I believe that's just a bunch of elitist propaganda meant to discourage low level warriors." He continued, seeming to forget all about his anger. "Anyone can turn into a Super Saiyan given they've reached a high enough power."

Zarbon hummed thoughtfully to himself, leaning back in his seat.

"But that's not the problem. The real problem is that damned brat! He's caused nothing but trouble and needs to be stopped!" He shouted, glancing around before leaning in closer. "If you know what I mean." He whispered, earning a malicious grin from the one in front of him.

"Oh, I think I know what you mean."

~0~

Oritz stood in horror from the observation deck of Frieza's main ship as he watched his home planet explode, taking with it millions of Saiyan lives. A tear ran down his cheek as he pressed his face into one of the large windows around the ship.

"But… why?" He asked, desperate for answers. Zarbon stood beside him.

"You said so yourself, any Saiyan can turn into a Super Saiyan. We can't have that happening, now can we?" He asked simply, chuckling to himself. "The Saiyan race is vile and temperamental, all too difficult to try and control, so it was just easier to get rid of your people."

Oritz choked on a sob, no longer able to hold back his anguish.

"It's simple risk prevention. However, don't be too heartbroken. Your precious nephew is among the few we've decided to keep alive. While it's too sloppy to try and corral all your simpleminded race, having a small handful should be quite fun to watch."

Oritz balled up his fists, turning to the other with utter fury in his eyes.

"You did this! You granted me sanctuary if I told you everything you wished to know. You promised!" He shouted. Zarbon scoffed.

"And here you are, safe and sound. I don't think we've gone back on any deal, don't you?"

Oritz froze, realizing the scale of what he'd done. His planet was gone, along with most of his friends and family. Regardless of how much he detested the prince, at least there was someone left. Which reminded him.

"What about the infant exploration pods?" He asked quietly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Zarbon clicked his tongue.

"Oh, that's right, huh?" He stated, suddenly remembering. Oritz bristled as Zarbon snapped his fingers and a nameless soldier approached. "See to it that all of those pods are accounted for and destroyed. Can't have any stragglers left behind." He mused, laughing as the man saluted and departed the room.

Oritz felt like he was going to be sick.

~0~

Five-year-old Vegeta raced back to his space pod and dove inside, situating himself and starting it up. He inputted his destination as Frieza's main command ship and fumbled with his restraints as he took off into the skies.

Angry tears rolled down his cheeks. His planet had just been destroyed and he was the only survivor? Bullshit! That communication was just meant to be a source of information and shock, but if Frieza thought he was going to sit back like an idiot then he was sorely mistaken.

First, he needed proof of this asteroid supposedly destroying his planet. He'd never truly found a way to trust the most contemptuous tyrant in the entire galaxy, so he couldn't help the nagging suspicion that something was being covered up.

Second, he needed to know what that communication meant as 'the only survivor'. There were dozens of survivors at least, sent to far off planets. His race would live on, so why in Kami's name would he get a transmission like that?

Hours later when he finally arrived, Vegeta dashed into the space ship, removing his cape and armor to make it less easy to be found. He ducked around corners, taking care not to be seen by anyone as he made his way to the control room. He silently entered the room and took shelter beside some of the computing systems when a conversation caught his attention.

"Zarbon's orders. We're meant to locate the surviving Saiyans and alert them to what's happened. But it's just a pain to have to go through these records. I'm not even sure I'll be able to find all of them."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. The explanation was innocent enough, but even still he couldn't help thinking there was more to wanting to find the survivors.

His mind raced as to how to get the men to leave their station when he suddenly got an idea.

Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of an explosion in the corner. Several screamed but most jolted into action and ran to see what the problem was. In the confusion, Vegeta managed to sneak off and take a seat at the monitors, scrolling through the list to see if he could find the planet he was looking for. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Tarble's planet hadn't been named and decided to delete the rest of the records, setting forth to wipe out everything he could get his hands on, just to make sure.

When the commotion eventually died down and the men returned to their seats, one of them shouted in anger.

"Shit! The explosion wiped out all of my work!" He yelled, kicking the machine.

"Man, that sucks, dude. Maybe you could just tell Frieza this was all you could find? After all, those savages did send babies to other planets. Odds are a bunch of them died."

"Huh, that's pretty smart." He muttered, taking a seat and deciding it was the best course of action.

Vegeta slipped out of the room unnoticed and headed for his designated quarters on the ship. He decided when the commotion died down enough he'd see what he could do about designating that planet as uninhabitable, like a gas planet or something. Maybe a methane one. After all, it wasn't appealing to sell a planet made of farts.


	3. Oritz

Thirteen-year-old Prince Vegeta stepped out of his space pod and spat a glob of bloody saliva on the ground. He'd just gotten back from a recovery mission that entailed suppressing a particularly violent race of giants on a planet meant for reestablishment. A wealthy friend of Frieza's was interested in it for its breathtaking landscapes, the only problem was what it was currently populated with.

What it HAD been currently populated with. Within a week, Vegeta and his team managed to wipe out the race of giants who were strong enough to even rival their Giant Ozaru forms. His team suffered heavy damages, but in the end, they'd managed to complete the mission without a single fatality.

A medical dispatch came jogging up to him with a gurney in tow, but he just waved them away to the other pods that hadn't yet disembarked. Likely because the men inside were unable to stand.

Vegeta walked away, taking a few limping steps until his legs were used to having to move again, and he marched off to the medical bay to get a nasty slice in his side looked at. Nappa had done a basic patch job on all his injuries while on the mission, but he was the impatient type that just wanted to be healed as soon as possible to get back to work.

The prince narrowed his eyes as he began approaching a familiar figure standing in the doorway blocking his exit from the landing bay. He was tired and sore and in no mood to deal with his insufferable uncle.

"Move." He ordered. However, when Oritz made no effort to step aside, Vegeta stopped in his tracks.

"Quite the accomplishment, nephew." Oritz stated. He'd managed to get fatter over the years and Vegeta wondered offhandedly why Zarbon chose to keep this useless oaf around. He didn't respond and contemplated if he was being challenged to cut the other down in order to get by. Oritz chuckled.

"Prince Vegeta, I was hoping you'd join me for dinner. It's been so long." He offered. Vegeta glared, remembering the last time he'd agreed to any sort of meeting, Oritz had tried to solidify himself as the acting father figure in his life. It had taken every trick Nappa could think of to keep the young prince from removing Oritz's head from his neck.

"Not happening, now move." He snarled, waiting for the other to comply. Instead, Oritz tutted disapprovingly.

"Now, now. Such hostility from my favorite nephew."

Vegeta had enough, he was in no mood to play any kind of games. He was injured, tired, frustrated, and eager to get back to his training. He pushed forward, grabbing his uncle by the collar of his shirt and yanking him down to his eye level.

"You will move. Or I will make you." He seethed between his teeth, feeling a dull throb in his side as well as from the minor concussion he'd sustained. Oritz stuttered, but eventually did as he was told. He stepped aside and watched as the boy marched off, his tattered red cape fluttering behind him. He was incredibly powerful for his age, and just in general. There were very few outside of Frieza's elite that could stand against him, and that frightened Oritz. He thought back to eight years ago when he'd watched Frieza destroy the Saiyan planet. All because he'd revealed the secrets of the Super Saiyan legend, his entire race had been doomed. And now at just thirteen, the prince was already encroaching on a power level of fifteen thousand.

Oritz dusted off the front of his uniform, straightening his collar. He knew it was only a matter of time before Vegeta would grow to a power level that threatened the safety of the rest of the Saiyans. Hell, the prince was the only reason him, Nappa, and that low class Saiyan Raditz were still alive. Frieza saw something in him that allowed them to stay employed under him, but Vegeta was nothing like Zarbon or Dodoria. They were both loyal to their dying day, willing to throw their lives away for the tyrant. Vegeta, however, was a stubborn mule only out for himself. He was willing to sacrifice everything before himself, and this last mission just solidified that fact.

Oritz grimaced as he began walking away, knowing the only thing that could protect himself was killing his nephew. He'd gone on too long as a loose cannon, now it was time to reel him back in.

~0~

Vegeta peeled off the rest of his uniform, grunting at the soreness in his limbs. He threw the ruined fabric in the trash and set forth to remove his stained bandages. He rubbed the corner of a piece of tape on his abdomen until he could grip it firmly and, with all his strength, ripped it from his side. Vegeta exhaled bitterly and repeated the process several times until he was completely free of bandages. He turned to the collection of containers at his side and picked up one of the jars, unscrewing the cap and scraping a large amount of goop onto his fingers. He then smeared it on the particularly large gashes he'd acquired, grunting at the burning sensation it caused as he smoothed it down.

"The healing tank is prepped and ready." The voice of one of its attendants announced, handing Vegeta his breathing mask as he picked off the backs of a few electrodes and began sticking them to the prince's chest and sides. Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement and stood, walking over to the tank and stepping inside. He shut the door and nodded as a signal to fill the tank after he'd secured his mask tightly and shut his eyes. He breathed heavily, relaxing under the oxygen saturation levels as the water level began to rise.

~0~

Gurren was a stocky little lizard alien that spent most of his time in the healing chambers. He'd tried going on planetary missions a few times as a medic, but the commotion and anxiety always made him panic wildly or pass out altogether, so he spent most of his time aboard the main ship. The pay wasn't as great, but at least here he knew he wasn't going to die in some wasteland. He was always good about getting soldiers the best healing techniques as well, so most everyone on board was polite and patient with him. Even prince Vegeta, who was known to pick a fight with anyone who so much as looked at him wrong.

The door to the tank control room swooshed open right after Gurren set the controls and timer for Vegeta's healing tank and he glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oritz?" He asked skeptically. He was a bit of a gossip and usually tried to listen to juicy details when he could, and from what he remembered, these two did not like each other.

"I'm just checking on my nephew is all." He stated calmly, a friendly smile on his lips. Gurren tried to accept the explanation, but something about it just seemed off.

"Um, alright. Can't say there's much to see. His vitals are stable, it's just a matter of closing those wounds." Gurren replied, turning back to his controls to double check everything was in order. When he was satisfied, he turned back to the other man with an expectant look. Oritz, however, just continued to stand there like a statue.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Gurren asked, wanting to leave the room but in order to do so he would have to lock the door, and only otherized personnel could be alone in the room. He coughed lamely, trying to get the man's attention and regretted it when he found a handgun pointed at his nose.

"Oritz! W-What are you…"

"Shut up!" The man ordered, jabbing it into Gurren's snout. "Back up! Walk over to that corner!" He instructed. Gurren raised his hands and did as he was told, stumbling back until he bumped into the wall. Oritz reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, then secured the small lizard man to a pipe.

"Whatever you want you can take it! I won't tell!" He pleaded, shaking from his fear. The Saiyan just ignored him though as he walked back over to the controls. He glanced around until he found the operator's screen for each tank and selected the one Vegeta was in.

"Goodbye, Prince Vegeta." He said with an evil chuckle, raising the general anesthesia levels beyond critical for a person his size. He fiddled with the water concentration as well, turning the soft blue solution into a deadly acidic cocktail that started bubbling and foaming a nasty green color. His chuckle grew into a maniacal laugh as he watched the prince's life monitors spike and drop while the machines beeped wildly.

He watched in fascination as the machine sparked and smoked, eventually cracking and spewing out the poisonous water. His expression changed, however, when he realized the source was actually his nephew breaking out of his confines and desperately stumbling away from the machine. He snarled angrily, surprised even that wasn't enough to kill the teenager.

Vegeta's mouth hung open, unable to release the scream of pain as he felt his injuries sizzle from the acidic water. His eyes burned and his vision was blurry while he desperately tried looking around to gain some semblance of location. Last he could remember, he was stepping into a healing tank. He racked his brain for where there might be a shower and stumbled to his feet, limping off to a corner of the room and nearly crying with relief when he collapsed in front of a row of shower handles. With all his concentration, he twisted the handle and shouted at the cold water spraying on his body, but forced himself to sit there and take it as he was rinsed clean.

Gurren had a lot of explaining to do if this turned out to be his fault. He wondered where the little green lizard had gone off to anyways, he was usually somewhere nearby, even if he was taking a nap in one of the recovery cots.

Vegeta pulled himself to his feet, heaving deep breaths and inspecting the damages. Blood from his reopened wounds turned the surrounding water nearly completely red, and his skin was blotched and angry with some parts disintegrated to the point of openly bleeding. He tried to calm himself, counting down from a hundred in his mind as he dragged his fingers through his hair. When he held his hands in front of himself though, he found clumps of hair stuck between his fingers.

Before he could react though, the sound of a gunshot startled him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground with a dull ache in his calf.

"I thought for sure I could kill you in the healing tank." A voice stated from behind him. Vegeta slowly realized it was Uncle Oritz standing behind him, and the bastard had shot him in the leg.

"You fuck…" Vegeta was cut off by another gunshot. This one ending up in his shoulder. He snarled and flipped around, staring down the barrel of his uncle's gun.

"You're just too dangerous. Saiyans like you are the reason Frieza destroyed our planet." He chided, pulling the trigger again. Vegeta managed to dodge this bullet, wrenching himself from the ground and kicking Oritz's feet from under him. The man called out in surprise, suddenly fearing for his safety when he realized Vegeta was still capable of moving this well. He landed on his ass and was pinned to the tiled ground easily enough by the nearly dead prince.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Vegeta demanded, suddenly allowing the man's words to sink in. As far as he was aware, and asteroid had destroyed his home world. Oritz whimpered pathetically and through the fog of his injuries, Vegeta managed to piece together an explanation.

"You sold us out?" He asked incredulously, grabbing the collar of his uncle's shirt. "Are you responsible for that day? ?" He demanded, shaking him violently. Oritz eventually managed to rip himself from his stupor and punched the younger in his side, angering the worst of his injuries. He pushed Vegeta off and scrambled to his feet.

"Yes, it was me!" He shouted, kicking Vegeta in his side. The prince choked, coughing up blood. "All these years of keeping this secret! And for what?" He kicked him onto his back and then stomped on his stomach, earning another coughing fit and a deeper shade of blood running from the younger's mouth. "For my brat of a nephew to be placed on a pedestal by Lord Frieza?" He kicked the back of Vegeta's head like a soccer ball, sending stars through his vision. "I sold our secrets! I traded our history! I caused the Saiyan genocide! And you?" He kicked him again and Vegeta thought his eyes were going to pop out of his skull. "You've sat there and eaten out of a silver spoon your whole life! Born with the power level of an elite! I've had to lie and cheat my way to the top and you just stumbled upon it!"

Vegeta groaned and tried to sit up, managing to pull himself to his hands and knees, then promptly depositing his stomach contents in front of himself. Oritz slammed a foot into his side again, sending him crashing to the ground. He then walked over and began stomping on the prince's skull.

"If I don't kill you now, it'll be me next! You stupid, ungrateful, self-obsessed, power-hungry, leech!"

Oritz stopped when he heard something crack and took a few steps back. He looked on in horror at what he'd done. He'd gone into this with the determination to kill Vegeta, but now as he looked at his crumpled body, he couldn't help the well of fear surging inside of him.

What had he done?

Oritz looked around in a panic, wondering what he should do with the body. He decided first he should even find out if the other was still alive. He hesitantly walked over and leaned down, placing two fingers on his neck and cursed himself when he felt the faint pulse of life.

"Shit." He spat, knowing he didn't have it in himself to finish off the work he'd started. He thought long and hard, and then came up with a plan. He could send the prince out in a space pod, careening into a star or some lifeless planet. The reports for the mission hadn't been filed yet, and there were all kinds of catastrophes that happened out in space. As far as he was aware as well, the men that had been on the mission were too out of it to remember the details of the flight home either. He nodded resolutely, grabbed Vegeta by the wrist, and lugged him back over to the shower.

After cleaning him up and bit and stuffing him in a new uniform, Oritz slung his unconscious nephew over his back and crept into the hallway, heading for the launchpad. The muffled shouts of Gurren who was still gagged and tied in the operator's room called after him and he realized he'd have to hurry back and bribe the guy to keep his mouth shut. Oritz managed to make it all the way back to the hanger and over to a fresh space pod without being noticed. He dumped the prince inside, attempting to fiddle with the restraints but eventually giving up.

Vegeta gurgled pathetically, blood running from the corner of his mouth as Oritz quickly glanced through the star charts. He cursed himself for being too cowardly to just finish the younger off, but conceded to his own personal flaws and set forth looking for an appropriate planet for his nephew to waste away and die on. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help the fear that if he didn't choose correctly, Vegeta would come after him and kill him.

Or worse, reveal that Oritz had told him about Frieza destroying their planet after vowing to never speak a word.

He searched more frantically, finally giving into his fears and selecting a gas planet several star systems away, quickly inputting the coordinates and initiating the deployment sequence. For this, he needed the thumbprint of the passenger and yanked Vegeta's arm out, smushing the prince's thumb onto the sensor and pleading for it to accept. His plan worked and after engaging the autopilot, he shut the door and waited for it to lock. Once it did, he ran out of there, not even bothering to watch as Vegeta was ejected out and sent speeding away.


	4. Crash Landing

Vegeta groaned, trying with all his strength to simply find a way to sit up. It was bitterly cold and pitch dark, like he hadn't even been able to open his eyes yet. There was certainly some swelling across his cheekbones, and his head ached like it was trapped beneath a rock, but he was positive he was still alive. He attempted to move an arm, however, it was trapped beneath him like he was stuck in a hole laying on his side. He tried moving his other arm and winced at the sharp pain as something cold and sticky made a sickeningly wet sound with every move. He strained his eyes in the direction of the arm that was free, finding a single glowing red dot not even three feet away. He did his best to steady his arm in order to reach it, and after several attempts, he managed to place a finger on it. It was round and wiggled a bit when he touched it, almost like he was meant to…

_Press it._

The pneumatic door released and Vegeta was sent rolling out in the cold night, shouting as pain shot up him every which way. The door was not comfortable to lay on and he eventually managed to remove himself from it, flopping onto the dirt and laying there listening to his own haggard breaths.

Slowly he pried open his eyes, finding an amazing array of stars overhead so bright he wished for the darkness once again. A feeling of nausea suddenly swept over him and he prayed to anything that he wouldn't throw up. He shut his eyelids, focusing on his strained breaths as he began shivering uncontrollably.

_In… And out… In… And out… Damn, it's cold…_

He clenched his hands into fists, feeling his gummy shoulder give a sting of protest. Next, he tried wiggling his toes. One foot seemed to get the message after a moment's hesitation, but the other foot wouldn't budge.

_Shit._

He laid there, eyes closed, mind racing, and then blank.

Vegeta jolted awake to the sounds of dragging and hushed voices behind him. He did his best to focus on something in front of him, finding that his depth perception was way off as it looked like he was being dragged on a stretcher through a freshly plowed field. He wondered if the people dragging him were here to help him.

Or eat him.

He watched as the stretcher made new grooves in the dirt, feeling every bump and rumble in every corner of his body. He vaguely wondered if the clothes he was wearing had some terrible shimmering pattern or if they were just so absolutely drenched in fresh blood.

Probably blood.

It was usually blood.

He just hoped it wasn't all his blood. Because there was a lot.

Pain. And light. Although, at this point, light was also painful. Vegeta tried to squint but gave up, not willing to try when his head was pounding this hard.

Where was he? What happened?

"One, two, three!"

_FUCK!_

He heard himself attempt to stifle a grunt and did his best to hold himself back from slugging whoever was next to him. After all, he hadn't figured out if these people were friendly or not. The gurney he'd been dragged on had been lifted onto a hovering stretcher as voices all around him chattered, causing the words to jumble together.

His head throbbed.

His vision swam.

Saliva started building in the back of his mouth.

"Oh fuck."

Much to the protest of his shoulder, Vegeta leaned sideways and retched what little bile was left in his stomach.

And blacked out.

~0~

Nine-year-old Tarble dashed up the stoop of his home and burst through the door, dumping his school bag in the corner by the stairs as he ran to the kitchen.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" He called out, digging through the fridge to find something to eat. He came out with a bunch of snack items, dropping them on the table and pulling up a chair. His friends would be by any minute to pick him up so they could all go to the park, and he wanted to get a quick bite in before he got there feeling like he was going to starve to death.

Tarble glanced around, confused since usually someone would have already greeted him by now. He didn't think much of it, though. Maybe his parents had gone to the store or something. After all, he did eat a lot of food.

He tore his way through several snacks and as he started to come back from his ravenous hunger, he realized someone had left the newspaper on the dining table. He glanced at it briefly and gasped, choking on his food after seeing the picture of one of the articles. When he finally managed to dislodge whatever was caught in his throat, he snatched up the paper and read the story even closer.

"Another Strange Round Space Pod, Another Mystery." He read the title aloud. He glanced at the picture again and was sure he wasn't hallucinating. It was small, but very easy to determine what was in it since the people on this planet had very defining features. The stranger pictured here very much looked like he didn't belong on a planet where the main population was small, very pale, and had large round heads. In fact, this stranger looked almost exactly like Tarble, something he'd never experienced before. Thankfully enough, the paper mentioned which hospital he was in and after taking a few more bites, Tarble ran out the door.

Only to run right back in, write a note for his parents saying he'd be home by dinner, and then writing another note to leave taped to the door for his friends.

After that was done, he went sprinting for the bus stop that would take him straight downtown.

The entire trip he sat there wondering what in the world he was thinking. Everyone knew who he was, and even then, it was hard to blend into a crowd, so of course he wouldn't be able to do anything sneaky like getting past any kind of security. He also wondered if there was going to be any kind of security surrounding this stranger. The more he thought about it, the more impossible the situation seemed to become until he eventually arrived at his destination and disembarked the bus. He stepped off, trying to rehearse how he'd get in, and didn't notice the giant mob of reporters until he was standing directly behind them.

"Is there any news on whether the suspect inside is dangerous or not?"

"Does this mean Frieza is on his way to our planet?"

"Can you confirm any reports on whether or not the instance is linked to that of nine years ago?"

"Look everybody, it's Tarble!"

At that last exclamation, the entire crowd turned to face the little Saiyan boy. He suddenly realized he was in a lot of trouble and waved awkwardly, hoping they would all turn right back around and continue shouting in that direction.

He was sorely let down, however, when he was instantly engulfed in a sea of reporters.

"Tarble! Does any of this have to do with you?"

"Do you know this new mysterious person?"

"Does this mean you'll be leaving the planet?"

Tarble balked, trying to get out a word only to be interrupted again and again until eventually someone took hold of his hand and began dragging him away.

"Alright, alright! That's enough from all of you! I'm sure the boy has already had a long enough day at school, he doesn't need to comment on anything from you vultures."

Tarble looked down in surprise to find a familiar face. "Governor?" He asked in amazement as he was led into the hospital and away from all the reporters.

"Tarble, it's good to see you, how have you been?" The governor asked as he straightened his suit. Tarble was about to say something when he was cut off. "Anyways, I'm surprised you're here! I didn't think your parents were going to let you come!" He announced, grabbing Tarble's hand and dragging him passed the reception area deeper into the hospital.

"I-I guess. Um, my parents don't know I'm here." He said, having to duck beneath a particularly low sign.

"Fantastic! A real go getter! I like that about you, Tarble, nothing will stop you. You're gonna go places, kid. You're gonna go far in this life and don't let anyone tell you any different." The governor stated, leading him along many corridors until they stopped in front of a door. The governor turned to face him.

"Now, I want you to know that I believe in you and I trust you completely, do you understand?" He asked, receiving a nod in return. "Alright, good lad. What I need you to do is I need you to go in there and just talk to him, alright?" The little man stated. Tarble gasped.

"Y-You mean!" He said excitedly, his face breaking into the largest smile he thought he'd ever had. The governor nodded.

"Yes, I do. The guy the whole city has been talking about. He crash-landed here just last night, and we can't get enough of him because he looks just like our big guy from the sky." The man stated, gently tapping him on the arm with his fist. "So, get in there and knock 'im dead!" He announced, opening the door and pushing Tarble in, then immediately shutting it behind him. The governor sighed heavily and pulled out a cellular device, opening it and dialing a number.

"Yeah, I got our guy inside. We'll find out soon whether or not to prepare for disaster."

Tarble froze when the door was slammed behind him, staring at a white sheet that was drawn around the hospital cot before him. He swallowed hard and remembered the governor's words, taking a step forward despite how nervous he was. When he got to the bed, he reached out a hand and slowly pulled the curtain back, revealing an oddly familiar face, despite the horrible swelling and bruising. Tarble half expected him to open his eyes right then and there, ready to answer all his questions. When he didn't, Tarble took another step closer.

He leaned in, inspecting the stranger. He marveled at their similarities, seeing the same face shape and the same hairstyle, questions springing up in every corner of his mind asking where this person came from and what he was doing here.

Tarble was broken from his thoughts when he heard distant arguing from outside the room, recognizing the loudest voice as his mother and cringing at how angry she sounded.

"…Alone? ? You let him go in there by himself? ?"

"I'm sure he's fine…"

"Don't agree with him! Our son is alone in there with a… with a…"

"Ma'am, I assure you, he's sedated. Nothing is going to happen until he's woken up. There's nothing to worry about."

The door opened and Tarble found his parents, the governor, and two nurses barging in the room. His mother ran up to him and his father wasn't too far behind.

"Oh, Tarble! Thank goodness you're alright." She said, rushing up to him.

"Mom! What's going on? Why are you here?" He asked, shocked. Everything just seemed so confusing, as if they were all keeping secrets from him. She ignored his questions though and grabbed his hand, beginning to lead him out of the room.

"Come on, sweetie. There's nothing to see here. You have nothing to do with this." She stated, dragging him behind her despite her size. He sputtered indignantly but couldn't seem to form a sentence until his other hand was grabbed by the governor.

"Ma'am, this is a matter of national security. Of world-wide security! Your son is an integral part of this operation whether you like it or not!" He announced, digging his heels into the floor and refusing to let go.

"My son will play no part in this!" She retorted, tugging harder much to Tarble's discomfort.

"Yes, he will! He has to!"

"Stop! You're going to rip my arms off!" Tarble squeaked, earning the adults' attention who immediately released him. He rolled his shoulders a few times and turned to his mother.

"Mom, I know you're probably just trying to protect me, but I think the governor is right." He said, excited but also terrified as to what that could mean.

"Honey, no! This has nothing to do with you."

"Yes, it does!" He shot back, baffled. "Have you seen him? He looks just like me! I'm not exactly normal on this planet! Maybe he knows who I am, where I come from. I know I was found, but I don't know what I am, and he has the answers!" Tarble demanded, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He refused to cry though and wished for once he could be strong without getting all emotional.

His mom stared at him, lost for words, until his dad stepped between them.

"We understand, son. It's your right to know." He stated, wrapping an arm around his wife and gesturing for Tarble to meet the stranger. The boy grinned wide, earning an approving nod from his mother despite the worry in her eyes. He turned and marched over to the bed, standing beside it with a million questions flooding his brain.

"Go ahead and wake him up." The governor instructed one of the nurses who did as he was told.

Tarble never took his eyes off the stranger, soaking in every detail. The style of his hair, the shape of his face, the location of his features. He looked tall, like Tarble. Or at least tall compared to the inhabitants of this planet. He wondered if they were considered giants among the stars, or if there were beings even taller than they were.

Tarble's heart raced when he saw the other's eyes begin to flicker. Everyone standing around the bed seemed to lean in even closer until the stranger was blinking slowly and eventually glancing around.

"H-Hi!" Tarble started, swallowing heavily. "M-My name is Tarble. What's yours?" He asked simply, suddenly wondering if the other was able to understand him. His heart sunk at the thought. If that was the case, then there would be so much lost time, so many unanswered questions. What if he left the planet without saying anything?

The stranger's gaze settled on him and Tarble felt like he was looking in a mirror. Granted, the one in front of him was severely more injured than he had ever been, but underneath the bruises, bandages, and swelling it was unmistakable.

"My name?" He asked hesitantly, his voice soft but much deeper than Tarble's. The boy almost jumped for joy when he realized the stranger could understand him. His eyes grew wide and he leaned in closer.

"Yeah! Who are you? Do you know me? Where did you come from?" The words fell out of his mouth faster than he could possibly contain them. He realized he didn't want to overwhelm the other and patiently waited for a response.

The young man in the bed blinked, then turned to look down at himself, shifting ever so slightly underneath the covers.

"You're quite injured, so you'll need to stay in bed for a while." One of the nurses stated, wanting to avoid having him try to stand up.

"What happened to me?" He asked quietly, almost as if he was directing the question at himself. The six surrounding him shifted uncomfortably, glancing between each other.

"Tell me, does the name Frieza mean anything to you?" The governor asked, eyeing him suspiciously. The young man blinked and pulled out his less injured arm, raising it up to inspect it.

"No, is that my name?" He asked, expression uninterested as he clenched and unclenched his fist. The governor and Tarble's father glanced between each other in shock.

"Nurses, unless you believe the patient is in need of anything else, we should leave him and Tarble alone for a while. I also need a word with his parents." The governor stated, turning on his heel and beckoning for the two to follow him. They left while his mom bickered, saying things like not wanting to leave her son with this person which made Tarble raise an eyebrow. He was injured beyond belief, what could he possibly do?

"How would you rate your pain levels?" One of the nurses asked with a clipboard in their hand. The young man shrugged.

"Fine." He replied curtly. She filled out a few more sections before hanging his files on the end of his bed.

"Anything we can get for you?" The other nurse asked as they both stopped in the doorway. A loud rumbling filled the room and even the stranger glanced down at his gut in surprise.

"Right away." One of them said before they both disappeared and closed the door behind them. The two Saiyans were left alone with an awkward silence slowly drowning the room. Tarble coughed.

"So, um, is there anything you can remember?" He asked hesitantly. The older boy stared at him a minute, his expression unreadable, before he started attempting to pull himself into a sitting position. Tarble reached out, wanting to help but not knowing how while the other grunted and grimaced at what looked to be a large amount of pain. When he was seated upright and propped against a pillow, he cleared his throat.

"It's foggy. I can't piece it together." He stated, flexing his feet beneath the covers. One was able to move a lot more freely than the other, and he couldn't help wondering the extent of the damage.

"So, you really don't know anything about yourself?" Tarble asked, crestfallen. The other glanced up at him in confusion.

"Why are you upset?" He asked condescendingly. Tarble stiffened.

"Because I've always wanted to know where I came from, and now when I finally meet someone who looks exactly like me, you lost your memory!" He exclaimed, his anger and frustration causing tears to return to his eyes.

"We do?" The stranger asked, remembering the other little beings in the room and realizing the kid in front of him did look very odd compared to them. Tarble wiped one of his eyes.

"Y-Yeah." He explained, realizing it would be a lot easier to show the other. He glanced around the room and found a small mirror hanging on a wall. He walked over and lifted it from its hook, bringing it over and holding it in front of the older boy.

He looked at his reflection in surprise, finding a large bandage wrapped around his forehead, several patches on his cheeks and neck, and he leaned in closer to see one of his pupils was comically large compared to the other.

"Fuck." He stated under his breath, then glanced up at Tarble. He tried to imagine himself looking a little less worse for wear and realized the younger had a point. They definitely looked as if they could be related, whether same species or even family.

"So, you don't remember your name? Or anything?" Tarble asked, hoping he could at least get something from him. However, the other just shook his head. Tarble looked away glumly, setting the mirror aside. He absentmindedly began scratching at the back of his neck, glancing away bashfully.

"Well, um, then can I, um, can I call you aniki?" He asked, his cheeks dusting with pink. The older boy raised a skeptical eyebrow, wondering why anyone would want to give him a title like that.

"No." He retorted brusquely, not bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. He didn't think much of it, that is, until he noticed the small hiccupping sobs coming from the other. He turned to see what the matter was and to his horror found the younger boy crying uncontrollably. He bristled at the sight, panicking slightly.

"What's the matter with you? Calm down!" He stated indignantly, looking around as if he'd find a way to make the other stop crying. He grumbled a few profanities under his breath and sighed deeply.

"Fine! Call me whatever you want, I don't care, just stop crying!" He urged, holding up a hand to try and calm him down.

"R-Really?" Tarble asked, sniffling pathetically.

"Yes, just shut up!" He stated, glowering when he was met with a bright smile.

"Yippee!" Tarble called out, jumping into the air as a show of his excitement. His aniki just rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself, maybe then I can remember something." He offered, trying to change the subject. Tarble's face lit up and before the older boy could stop him, Tarble had tucked himself under the sheets and was sitting next to him on the bed. He glared venomously at the younger but didn't say a word.

"Well, I'm nine years old, my parents found me as a baby, I'm in my forth year of school and I love playing sports and drawing. I'm not as good as the other kids in academics, but I'm trying my best and I have a lot of people who want to see me succeed. My tutors all say that I'm doing a great job, and even then, I can beat all my classmates in any kind of sports whether it's glorp-ball, ringer's pitch, or even flarfal fetch! I usually have to play against the bigger kids though since I'm so much stronger than my classmates and can hurt them if I'm not careful…"

The older boy groaned lightly, not realizing he was going to get this kid's whole life story.

"Go back to that first part, where your parents found you as a baby." He instructed tersely.

"Oh, right! Yeah. They found me in a space pod like the one you came in. Well, some farmers found me, but my dad works with intergalactic research teams, so him and mom offered to take me in." He stated, taking hold of the other's hand and twining their fingers together. The older stared at the display.

"What are you doing." He demanded.

"Holding hands! It's something family and friends do on this planet." He stated cheerily with a big smile. His aniki didn't find it quite so amusing though and instead wriggled out of the other's grasp. Tarble's good mood deflated a bit but he decided he would let it ruin the rest of his day.

"The people on this planet are really nice and helpful! Everyone is so smart too. Researchers are developing ways to travel through space so we can learn more, but scientists are always saying that it's much too dangerous. Afterall, Lord Frieza has been expanding his empire closer and closer to this planetary system. Although, apparently his scouting ships mis-documented our planet as a large gas planet for some odd reason, so they say as long as no one figures it out then Frieza's men have no reason to come here, and also because the species here is too weak to work." Tarble continued, chuckling at the last part.

"Who is Lord Frieza?" He asked, unable to shake the thought that he knew the name from somewhere.

"He's the worst guy in the universe!" Tarble exclaimed, earning a sideways glance from the older boy. "He steals planets for himself! Destroying all life in his wake or forcing people to be his slaves!" He announced. A gloomy expression fell on his face.

"Dad told me he thinks my people were attacked by Frieza, and in a last-ditch effort they sent me away to another planet in hopes that I would get to live a better life." Tarble explained, smiling sadly. "I hope I get to meet them someday and thank them for saving my life. I hope they're all still alive."

The older boy stared at him, half expecting him to start bawling his eyes out, but he just sat there. Sullen and sad. He sighed and raised his good arm, plopping his hand down on top of the boy's head and ruffling his hair. Tarble glanced at him, perplexed, and smiled happily at the affection.

"Do you know who your family is, aniki?" He asked. The older pondered for a moment and then shook his head.

"Can't remember."

A knock suddenly came at the door before it was opened and a nurse walked in.

"I brought dinner! We had a tough time deciding what to bring, but with the injury to your abdomen we decided soft foods were best. And if you're anything like Tarble, I'm sure you're hungry."

She approached and set the tray on a little table that was able to swivel around in front of her patient. The older boy stared at the mound of food in front of himself with wide, hungry eyes before taking up a utensil and shoveling it into his mouth.

"Tarble! What do you think you're doing? Your friend is injured and needs his rest, please get up." The nurse instructed in a strict tone. Tarble wanted to retort something, but the authority in her voice made him think otherwise and he began getting up when his aniki interrupted him.

"He can stay, I don't mind." The older boy stated after swallowing a large mouthful of food. With the hand closest to Tarble, he grabbed the other's hand and clasped it tightly with their fingers laced together. Tarble grinned happily, first at his aniki, and then at the nurse. She just sighed and told them not to be rowdy before she left. He then continued to shovel food into his mouth while Tarble blabbered on about life on this planet.

~0~

Vegeta stared up at the ceiling, tracing the lines of the paint texture as he got lost in his thoughts. Trying to recall his memories had earned him a massive headache along with a small snippet of someone beating the crap out of him. In his gut he knew it was the last memory he'd had before blacking out and waking up on this planet. He remembered being submerged in a tank until the liquid surround him began burning holes in his skin, barely managing to break out before he could be dissolved. He remembered being under a cold shower, running his hands through his hair and finding clumps stuck between his fingers. Finally, he recalled being kicked in the head, which would explain the swelling all over his face, along with the uneven pupils.

At some point, about an hour ago, he'd slumped down the mattress to get a little more comfortable with Tarble following suit. The younger was currently exhaling deep breaths of sleep and curled tightly against his side with the older boy's arm draped over his shoulder. Although he couldn't remember the details of his past, he knew he hadn't been living a life anywhere near as comfortable as Tarble's, which would explain why the affection was so foreign to him.

The hospital shirt he was wearing had short sleeves and he couldn't help noticing all the nicks, scratches, and scars on his exposed arms. He figured the smaller scrapes would be gone in no time, but some of the marks looked like they'd been inflicted a while back, maybe even years ago. That was the first indication he didn't live in the lap of luxury. The aches in his muscles also gave it away; he constantly felt the need to just get up and move. He wanted, and needed, to stand up and stretch his legs. Or go for a run.

Or pick a fight.

This insatiable need to fight something was gnawing a hole in the back of his head with its intensity. He wanted to walk, he wanted to jump, he just wanted to get up!

However, there were a few things holding him back. First, he couldn't find the heart, or the explanation as to why he refused, to push Tarble off himself. He knew the kid from somewhere familiar and it seemed to be possibly the only happy moments of his life. So, he let the younger get all clingy and invade his personal space bubble. It wasn't easy, but once he got used to it, it was kind of nice.

Not that he'd ever tell anyone.

Second was the dull ache in one of his legs. One of the intravenous lines he was hooked up to had to be filtering a steady line of painkillers, because not only did he get lightheaded sometimes, but it was like he was constantly floating in the clouds.

Probably attributed to his passiveness with Tarble as well.

He could move the foot attached to this leg, but not very well, and he assumed it was because it was broken. He regretted not asking for the details of his condition but figured he could get some answers soon enough.

There was pain in his side, pain in his shoulder, and of course the pain in his head and leg. He really wished he could recall something more than just a few snippets of having his ass handed to him. For now, though, thinking too much was causing a migraine to develop.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, absentmindedly tracing circles in Tarble's hair. He wondered exactly how similar the two of them looked without his face being so horribly disfigured. Maybe they really were family; brothers. Or at least cousins.

There was a soft knock before the door to the room opened and three small figures came in. He recognized the nurse and assumed the other two were Tarble's parents. It was just a little difficult to tell this species apart, not that he'd been paying much attention in the first place. There was a bit of an awkward silence filling the room as the parents approached until Tarble's mother spoke up.

"Any luck with your memories?" She asked in a pleasant tone. He could tell she was afraid. But of what?

The young man shook his head lightly and glanced down at Tarble, figuring they were here to take him away to his own bed. He silently wished they'd leave him behind for the night, but knew it wasn't a possibility and accepted that.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get something soon enough." She assured, walking up to the bed and giving the younger boy a gentle shake.

"Honey, it's time to go home." She stated softly. He eventually stirred, grumbling something and pulling himself closer to his aniki. The older boy stared mystified, glancing up at the woman and hoping she wasn't going to take offense. He wasn't exactly trying to keep the younger overnight, as much as his brain hoped it would happen.

"Tarble, come on. Your friend needs his sleep, and you have school tomorrow." She urged, shaking him harder. Tarble sighed but eventually conceded, untangling himself from the other and causing a rush of cool air to flood under the blankets. He yawned and stretched, rubbing his eyes before finally standing. He reached out and took hold of the other's hand, gripping it tight as a farewell.

"I'll come by and visit after school, if that's ok." He announced sleepily, directing the last part to his parents. His mom smiled.

"Of course." She replied before leading him out. He waved goodbye and just as they rounded the door, his aniki gave a small wave back.


	5. Interrogation

The final bell couldn't come soon enough, and the second it rang Tarble was running for the door and sprinting past his friends to catch the city bus.

"Tarble! Where are you going!" One of his classmates shouted after him, he turned just enough to glance over his shoulder.

"I'm going to see my aniki!" He called back, narrowly missing a tree when he faced forward again.

The entire bus ride had him bouncing up and down in excitement as he counted down the seconds until he was at the hospital. When he got off, he weaved through the people and up the steps, tore past the reception desk until he realized he had to sign in, ran back, scribbled his name on the visitor's page, and darted back to his original path.

When he made it to his destination, he saw that there were some mean looking guards standing outside of the older boy's room. He approached slowly, gasping for breath after his long run until he was standing directly in front of the two.

"H-Hello." He greeted hesitantly, wondering if they were going to let him pass. One of the men nodded while the other turned away and spoke into his earpiece.

"Visitor request." He stated, taking a moment to hear the reply on the other end. "Tarble." He answered, listening for another second before turning to the boy.

"Give them a minute, they're almost done." He said. Tarble gave him an odd look.

"They?" He asked, wondering if maybe it was more government officials. They did seem very concerned about the older boy's appearance. He stood around awkwardly, glancing from side to side until he found a little chair where he sat down and waited. It took maybe ten minutes for the door to be opened and another man came out, shutting the door and walking over to Tarble.

"It's good to see you again. My, I'm sure you don't remember me. Last time I saw you, you were just a small little guy we found in a space pod." The man stated with a kind smile. "My name is Dr. Shallots, we've just been busy running a few tests and asking a few questions with your friend in the room. He was in quite a deal of pain with his injuries, so we had to give him something to calm him down and ease the discomfort. So, if you notice anything odd about his behavior when you go in, that's the reason why." He explained. Tarble nodded mechanically, unsure what to make of the doctor but decided to just go along with it. He stood and followed the man, being allowed in by the two guards.

When he was inside, the door was shut and locked, but Tarble's gaze immediately fell on the hospital bed where his aniki was laying down. Next to the bed he saw his father sitting there with a computer tablet in his lap, reading something from what seemed to be a long list of questions. He just asked something, but it didn't seem like his intended audience was paying attention when he was distracted by Tarble entering the room.

"Tarble!" The other boy called out, earning a concerned look from the younger Saiyan. He hadn't known the other for very long, but even with the short amount of time they'd spent together, the outburst seemed to be very out of character. Just then he yanked his arms up, destroying what looked to be metal restraints meant to hold him to the bed, then leaned forward and ripped apart the chains that were tied to his ankles.

Tarble stared in shock as the other then climbed messily to his feet and stumbled over to him, accidentally tearing electrodes and IV lines out of himself as the doctors and scientists desperately tried to stop the machines from toppling over in his wake. Tarble stood still as he was embraced in a very tight hug, quivering beneath the other's weight when he suddenly seemed to remember he had a broken leg.

"So good to see you, Tarble. I missed you!" He mumbled into the younger's ear, his words slurring together like he was dead tired.

"I, uh, missed you too, aniki." He replied. He'd been thinking about this moment all day but didn't expect it to turn out like this one bit. He chuckled a bit and hugged him back until they were swarmed by nurses trying to persuade the older boy back into bed.

Tarble's aniki then pulled away, engulfing the younger's cheeks in the palms of his hands and squishing his mouth into an O.

"You gotta get me away from these quacks." He begged, staring into the other's eyes. Tarble noticed now that instead of one oddly dilated pupil, both were like giant black saucers. "If they ask one more question I don't know the answer to, I swear…"

He was cut off from his train of thought by a needle going into his neck, causing him to nearly slump to the floor. Tarble barely managed to catch him, marveling at how unbelievably heavy he was. With the help of everyone around, they were able to get him back into bed which is when Tarble noticed the terrible amount of blood seeping through the bandages and trickling from where he'd just had a needle in his arm. The older boy didn't seem fazed, however, and instead grabbed hold of the front of Tarble's shirt and jerked him down on the bed. He yelped from the force, trying his best not to dig any elbows or knees into the other's injuries.

"Damn, what did you guys say this stuff was?" He asked the nearest attendant, practically smothering Tarble in his arms as he pulled him closer.

"Opium." One of the nurses answered from the other side of the room. The boy chuckled, pressing his forehead and nose against Tarble's.

"You gotta try some. This shit's restricted in most parts of the galaxy." He whispered, snickering.

"W-What?"

"Alright, give me your arm." One of the nurses ordered, tugging the older boy away and pressing him back into the bed to face forward. He grumbled something profane under his breath, complaining about his arm being used as a dartboard and not noticing that Tarble was being coaxed out of his grasp. The younger was instructed to take a seat in the chair next to the bed and reluctantly obliged.

"So, have you gotten some of your memories back?" Tarble asked, realizing he must have remembered something by now. The other glanced over at him, realizing he was no longer directly next to him and glaring at the team of scientists standing next to Tarble who must have relocated him to the chair.

"Che, a few things. Not enough to make these clowns disappear." He answered gruffly as the electrodes were being stuck back onto his forehead and chest.

"Come on, now. We're almost done." Tarble's dad stated encouragingly, turning back to his tablet. "In fact, Tarble! Why don't you read the last question and we'll pack up and leave you two alone?" He offered, handing the tablet over to his son.

"Oh, um, ok." He replied, taking it and clearing his throat. "Question… three hundred fifty-six…?" He read that number again, balking at the amount and understanding why the older boy was so desperate to leave. "What brings you to our planet?"

"I've answered this before, next." He stated impatiently.

"Yes, but really try to think on it." Tarble's dad stated, pen and paper in his hand. "Coming to this planet is a billion to one chance, especially considering you look exactly like my son."

The young man exhaled heavily, staring at the ceiling. "I remember…"

Dissolving. Burning. Gun shots. Betrayal.

"Somebody did… this." He said, gesturing at himself. "I think it was a relative."

"So, there are more of your people?"

He rolled his eyes. "We've been over this, I don't remember. Now I've answered your idiotic questions, so get out." The older boy said, his voice dangerous. Tarble's dad nodded.

"Well, I think it's safe to say he doesn't recall anything, and even if he did, I don't think he came here for malicious purposes." He concluded, beginning to collect his stuff into a computer bag. The other scientists muttered their agreements as they too began packing up.

"Tarble?" His dad caught his attention. "I'll see you later tonight. I've got to report to city hall for a meeting."

Tarble nodded and gave him a hug before he left with the rest of his team. The nurses attended to the older boy and told him they'd send in the doctor to get his leg wrapped up in a cast. When everyone was finally gone, he groaned loudly and slumped further down his bed, the covers pulled all the way to his nose, and glaring at the ceiling.

"Long day?" Tarble asked. He was met with a bitter snarl, but ultimately the older boy flung the sheets aside as an invitation for him to share the bed. He gladly did so, tucking himself in nice and snug next to his aniki. He was warm and smelled pleasant. Tarble wondered how long all of this was going to last.

"Aniki?" He asked quietly, wondering if he was burnt out from answering so many questions. The older hummed in response. "What are you going to do? After you get out of the hospital, I mean."

A pause filled the air for a moment as the older boy pondered the idea a moment. Hell, what was he going to do? No where to go, no one to contact. Maybe the ship he crashed here with had some answers, or at least a starting location. He could try retracing his steps, maybe find someone who could tell him who he was. Maybe there was some form of therapy he could try out, or if this hospital was as well stocked with psychedelics as they were with opioids.

"Dunno. Too tired to figure it out anyhow." He muttered, closing his eyes and settling in for a rest.

"Yeah, alright." Tarble responded. After all, it's not like he was going anywhere any time soon. And who was he to stop him? He probably couldn't do much about it anyways, especially after watching him break through steel chains like it was nothing today.

"Aniki?" He asked, mustering up just a bit more courage. Again, he responded with a grunt. "If you left, would you take me with you?"

The older boy lay very still for a moment, then eventually let out a breath and spoke.

"Probably not."

There was a knock at the door and Tarble jumped as it was opened by one of the doctors. She greeted them and immediately set to work casting the older boy's leg.

~0~

_After speaking with the subject over a long period of time, I have concluded that our planet is not in immediate danger. Despite the obvious signs of memory loss, I can state with great certainty that our second mysterious tailed fellow landed here unintentionally, or as a means for safety. While it states in the galactic records that our planet is uninhabitable, I have a hunch that the establishment along with Tarble's appearance both nine years ago are codependent. Meaning, of course, that there is a conspiracy amongst Frieza's ranks. While this may not impact the dictator in any significant way, is does raise the question unto our role in these politics. Nevertheless, I deem only watchful eyes on both the foreign subject along with buffering our interplanetary watch over the next six months should suffice. My wife and I have already put in a placement request and intend to look after him as we have done Tarble until this matter is resolved._

Tarble's father looked over the document he'd written one more time before taking a deep breath and marching into the meeting room. While it was certainly concerning to have a soldier of Frieza on their planet, which was obvious considering the uniform they'd found him in, he was positive he wasn't here to destroy the planet. After all, if that was his duty, why did he show up nearly dead in the middle of a field? And while he'd been difficult to work with from the moment they'd found him, it was never in a way of mass destruction, just unfamiliarity and a desire to protect himself. They'd had to sedate him in the emergency vehicle, as well as when he arrived at the hospital, when he'd been admitted into a room, and again when they were trying to conduct an interview. He had quite the temper, and many were injured because of it, but not a single life was lost.

Who ever this mysterious young man was, he wasn't here to kill, and the sooner they could get more concrete answers or get him off of the planet, the better off they would all be.


	6. Intruders

Vegeta pried open his eyes as he shook uncontrollably from the painful throbbing sensations radiating in every corner of his body. He wondered what wrath he'd inflicted upon himself from whatever higher power when he suddenly remembered what he'd done last night. After Tarble had left and he'd turned in for the night, he'd removed the IV lines from his arm, determined to regain his sanity and hopefully break out of this place when he no longer felt blitzed out of his wildest dreams. Of course, this plan had worked a lot better in his drugged-up mind, and now he was battling between the excruciating pain and the twinge of withdrawals he could feel nagging him in the back of his head.

Regrettably, neither one was fighting on his behalf.

He started to wonder if he should wait for a more opportune moment, maybe when he could manage to string together a coherent thought. Then again, would he be presented with a situation more ideal? Nobody would expect it, he readily admitted he was quite the shit-show. And the questions he'd been hammered with were certainly not written in his favor. He couldn't answer most of them, and every topic articulated seemed to be persecuting him in a negative light.

Of course, he didn't believe for one second that he was a doer of good. Any snippet of memory he'd managed to wrench out of the recesses of his mind attested to that. However, that didn't mean he was ready to be sent to prison. Or deported into space, where he'd come from, without a plan.

Or just straight up killed.

Honestly, he didn't think the species had it in them to harm him. Then again, he didn't really want to stick around to find out. After all, they were a hard people to get a read on. For a while he'd even forgotten that the one questioning him was Tarble's father.

Despite the aching protest in his stomach, he sat upright with his feet touching the ground and huffed in annoyance. Everything around him was just a little too small, much like the majority of the people who inhabited this planet. With all his strength, he pushed himself to stand, grunting at the horrible pain that erupted from just about every joint. He hobbled one step, then turned around and hobbled another. Either he was working through the pain, or his body was gradually becoming numbed, and he decided to take the risk since each step was less pained than the last. He figured the moment he ripped the electrodes from himself was the start of his clock, meaning he'd only have so much time before someone found out his heart monitor had flatlined and he'd disappeared.

He took a deep breath and a moment to mentally prepare, then pulled the rest of the lines from himself and grabbed the set of street clothes that had been generously donated by Tarble and his family for when he was finally well enough to leave. He quickly, yet carefully, swapped his hospital gown for a pair of pants and a tunic with a belt, much like the rest of the people around here wore. There was also a pair of gloves and boots, but he only needed one boot since his other foot was still encased in plaster. He then hobbled to the door, regretting his choice to forego the painkillers since he was already starting to pant and sweat from the exertion.

The Saiyan carefully opened the door, looking both ways before slinking into the hallway and to where he hoped he could find an exit. He hurried with care, ducking into a small hiding space when he heard footsteps approaching. As soon as the nurses disappeared into his room, he limped on.

"He's gone!" One of them called out in utter disbelief.

"Well, he couldn't have gone far. Not in his state." Another noted smartly. They all seemed to agree, loudly, and the young man cursed, figuring his escape plan was about to topple around him when he spotted something down the next hallway. A sign was attached to the wall with a picture of a person descending some stairs and he nearly vocalized his excitement. He hobbled in the direction, stooping through the door and taking the stairs two at a time.

Of course, for him it was a natural pace.

He eventually reached a door that led outside and burst out into the cold, crisp morning air. The sun had just barely begun to rise, and he was thankful for the darkness while it lasted.

~0~

Gure hurried down the sidewalk with her school textbooks in hand, running as fast as her little legs could carry her. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten them in her last class when she had such an important exam to study for! And when she'd realized it, it was much too late. The school had been closed for the day and everyone was either home or in the extracurricular buildings. She'd had to wait for the building to be opened again in the morning and in her haste didn't realize she could have just brought her notes with her to study there.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She chanted again and again between exhausted breaths. She prided herself on her excellent grades and at this rate her cumulative score would be ruined!

She pushed herself to run a little faster, she was almost home!

However, out of the corner of her eye, Gure caught something that didn't seem to belong. She slowed, panting hard as she stared for a moment until she recognized who it was. The lighting wasn't great, and the shadows were heavy, but it immediately clicked in her mind.

"Tarble!" She called out with a big smile. They'd been friends ever since they'd had a class together last year and she was a touch embarrassed to admit she had a bit of a crush on him. It was hard not to, he was just so handsome and strong.

And tall.

The tallest kid in school, in fact. Of course, whatever his species was gave him an unfair advantage, but she didn't like to focus on stuff like that.

She dashed over to him, stopping just in front of him and noticing he was giving her a funny look.

"Are you ok, Tarble?" She asked, noticing how horribly exhausted he looked leaning against the side of a building, like he'd been out on an intense run. A lightbulb suddenly went off in her mind.

"I've caught you!" She exclaimed, a proud smirk on her lips. He flinched ever so slightly, giving her an even more hesitant look. "So, this is how you stay so physically fit! You certainly had me fooled, I would never have taken you for a fitness junky!" She continued, and now Tarble looked like he was questioning her sanity.

"Don't worry, if it's so important to you to keep it a secret, I won't tell anyone." She affirmed, giving him a wink. The taller boy raised an eyebrow. "Although, I can't see why it needs to be a secret, you stand out enough as is. If fitness is your passion though, then by all means, pursue it!" She encouraged with a beaming smile stretching across her face. He continued to stare at her as if she was the oddest creature he'd ever met, and Gure was starting to get annoyed.

"I told you! Your secret is safe with me! We're friends, Tarble. You can trust me." She said, reaching out and taking hold of his hand. "Come on! We can study for our history test together. Have you started yet? Or were you too busy working out?" She teased him, tugging at his arm which earned a wince of protest from him.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, you're probably still sore. I can only imagine what you put yourself through to be such an amazing athlete." She stated, taking care to be gentler as they began walking down the street. She noticed he was limping pretty badly and gave him a distressed look.

"You know, you should stretch before you do something so intense. And with Flarfal Fetch tryouts coming up too! I hope you're going to be ok."

The taller boy was silent, but that didn't seem to dissuade Gure. She continued to blather on and on about taking care of himself and balancing school and exercise, reminding him that if he put it as much effort with his homework, he wouldn't have to take remedial classes and deal with so many tutors. Most of the school's faculty gave him a pass since he was an entirely different species, especially since he obviously didn't have the same intellectual capabilities, but it was no excuse to slack off.

They eventually came to a small house in a track with dozens of homes that looked the exact same, but Gure seemed to know where she was and led him up the stoop, taking care to allow him to ascend at his own pace.

"Well, home sweet home! I figured we could go to your place and go over your notes since I have the book. I'm so silly, our teacher was nice enough to let me take a textbook home and I completely forgot it in my science class!" She announced as she twisted the doorknob, giggling nervously as she held it open for the boy. She almost made eye contact with him under the porch light, but glanced away, a flurry of butterflies in her guts causing her to second guess herself. Here she was, inviting herself into his house while his parents were probably already at work!

The nervous blush on her cheeks grew deeper as she tailed behind him, eyes on the floor and hardly able to glance anywhere else.

He walked through the doorway, glancing left then right to see a modest, yet somewhat messy home. It was nothing impossible, but obviously was home to people too busy to meticulously clean.

"Alright, I'll start setting up in the dining room if you go and get your notebooks." She offered, walking by him. He frowned lightly, almost as if he was confused, when his stomach suddenly gurgled unhappily. Gure paused and then giggled.

"You're right, breakfast first! I forgot to eat this morning, but I'm sure you're just hungry from your run." She stated, hurrying past him deeper into the house. "Come and sit at the table! I'll make you something special, a big pre-exam meal that'll keep you focused until lunch!" She called out cheerily.

The older boy glanced back at the door, contemplating leaving, but eventually conceded to his exhaustion and followed after the small girl. She was already making herself at home yanking out pots and pans, utensils and cutting boards. She raided the refrigerator as if she lived here, setting out a large array of food that made Vegeta's mouth water.

Gure hummed a little tune under her breath while the boy she thought was her classmate sat at the table, patiently waiting for her to cook something. The thought of cooking for Tarble made her giggle again, thinking happy thoughts of some far-off domestic life where they were married with children in the not-so-distant future. She started imagining the house they'd build, what a fantasy married life would be like, their honeymoon, how many kids they'd have… After all, she'd been watching a lot of romance movies lately to cope with these intrusive mushy feelings. Of course, the man always did something to jeopardize the engagement, but she was determined if something like that happened and he apologized, she'd be willing to forgive him.

~0~

Tarble slowly woke up, glancing over at his alarm clock and groaning when he still had a while before he needed to be awake for school. Why in the world had he woken up so early? ?

However, right on cue was the sound of pots and pans clanging together downstairs in the kitchen. He rolled over, figuring it was his parents and closing his eyes.

Only to immediately open them when he realized they'd already be at work at this time. His eyes grew wider as his mind raced through every possibility and settled on the fact that it was probably a burglar here robbing them.

He threw the covers over himself, praying they'd take what the wanted and left without checking upstairs when it suddenly dawned on him.

His brand-new game console was downstairs with a whole shelf filled with video games, some of which he hadn't beaten yet!

Tarble shot out from under the covers and threw open the door, determined to try and scare away whatever fiend was downstairs. He grabbed his flarfal fetch bat and crept into the hallway, scoping the area in case there was more than one person.

When he reached the bottom floor he tiptoed for the kitchen, pressing himself against the wall and taking a deep breath as he heard the intruders gobbling down hefty amounts of food.

Those bastards! Damn them! First they break into his home and now they steal his food? ?

With a feral cry of might, he lunged into the opening, bat held high over his head with battle ready anticipation.

Only to find Gure cooking an amazing spread in the kitchen and the stranger that had crash-landed here scarfing it down his face.

Tarble went sheet white, realizing he'd made a terrible mistake and amazed that his aniki hadn't even bothered to stop eating.

Gure screamed and froze when Tarble jumped out and scared her half to death.

But, wait…

She glanced between who was sitting at the table and who was standing in the doorway, recognizing them both as Tarble, until… As she looked a little closer, she could see the one at the table was not her Tarble and suddenly she remembered the headlines in all the papers about the story of a second Tarble crashing his spaceship into a field a few towns over.

Gure looked back and forth between the two, realizing it had been too dark on the street to tell the two apart, and she hadn't been able to make eye contact with him ever since she walked in the front door.

She made a small sound of shock, her dreams of domestic living shattering into a million pieces before her as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Gure? Aniki? W-What are you…"

Tarble was swiftly cut off when Gure unexpectedly ran up to him and threw a fist into his gut, sobbing profusely before running for the front door.

"Idiot! You idiot, Tarble!" She called out over her shoulder, dashing out and slamming the door behind her. Tarble wheezed, more surprised than anything about the strength of her punch. He slowly climbed onto his knees when the sound of eating caught his ear again.

"Your girlfriend is weird." His aniki said through mouthfuls of food, shoveling more in and seeming as if he didn't need to breathe.


	7. Frieza's Soldier

Tarble pulled himself onto a chair at the table, sighing heavily and collapsing his head into his hands. What in the world was going on? First his aniki had somehow gotten himself out of the hospital and across town, and now Gure was acting weird and had hit him as if he'd done something wrong. It was too dang early in the morning to be dealing with this kind of junk!

He lifted his head and stared at the other boy for a moment as he finished the rest of whatever had been in his bowl, his head tilted back as he shoveled the last bits of food into his mouth. He then set down the dish and let out a satisfied exhale, leaning back in his chair.

"Aniki, how in the heck did you get here?" He asked in amazement. The older boy shifted his eyes to look at the other.

"Jumped on the back of one of those big city cars, whatever you call them." He replied, grabbing a fork to pick at the morsels stuck between his teeth. Tarble gaped at him.

"Jumped? On a bus? ? Like, while it was moving? ? What is wrong with you! What if you'd missed? Or hurt yourself even worse?" He asked in dismay. "And you didn't pay? !"

The teenager scoffed. "With what money?" He asked simply, dropping the fork in the bowl. He then got up from the table and headed away from the kitchen to a cozy living room set up, plopping down on a short, yet long, sofa and stretched out. He linked the leg he had in the cast over the head board of the couch in a rather immodest pose as he clasped his hands over his chest and closed his eyes. Tarble let out an 'eep' of shock, springing to his feet and rushing over to lean across the back of the couch.

"Aniki! My mom is going to be so mad if she finds you with your feet on the furniture!" He chided, hoping he could somehow reason with the other.

"Bite me."

Well, that was a cold, hard no if he'd ever heard one.

"Aniki, please!" He whined, his eyes growing desperately wide. However, the other just ignored him and took a deep breath of relaxation. Tarble groaned, sinking to the ground and leaning against the back of the sofa. He wracked his brain for what to do, realizing his parents wouldn't even be home for hours. Maybe he could convince the other to even go back to the hospital in that time.

Just then, the home phone rang, startling him. He considered not answering it for a moment but ultimately got to his feet and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" He said, wondering who could be calling at this hour. Telemarketers? Well, considering his house guest, it might be the hospital.

 _"Tarble! Oh, thank everything precious!"_ His mom's voice announced just a little too loud. He winced at the volume.

"Mom? What's up? Is everything ok?" He asked. He heard her reassure someone else he was ok, probably his dad.

 _"Now, Sweetheart, don't panic, but there's a situation going on."_ She started in a sweet, calming tone. _"You remember that boy who crashed here? Turns out he's escaped the hospital and we're trying to find…"_

"Yeah, I know." Tarble replied. Ever since she'd first met the guy, his mom had just been so weird about him. He wondered what it was all about. After all, his aniki couldn't remember anything, and it's not like he was going anywhere.

_"Y-You know?" She asked hesitantly, obviously worried._

"Yeah, he's right here. Gure made him a giant breakfast." He replied.

"Snitch." The older boy called from the couch in a bored tone. Tarble glowered at him.

 _"Gure is there?"_ She asked, almost hopeful.

"No, not anymore. I don't know what I did, but I made her mad and she left."

_"So, you're all by yourself? Tarble, I need you to go to our room and lock yourself in the bathroom…"_

"Mom!" He cut her off, exasperated. "What is going on! What's wrong!" He demanded, fed up with how ridiculous she was being.

 _"Tarble, honey, the authorities will be there soon and when we get home, I promise we'll tell you what's going on."_ She explained. Tarble balked, at a complete loss for words. The police were coming? ? What for? What were his parents keeping from him?

"Mom, will you just tell me what's going on? There's no need to do something like that…"

But before he could finish, the front door of the house was busted down along with the sliding door in the living room. Tarble shrieked, dropping the phone much to his mother's protest. However, he was no longer paying any attention to her. He backed himself into a corner, shaking visibly as the only glimpse of his aniki he could manage was his hands being held above the couch. Now that he thought about it, his leg was still reclined over the top of the sofa as well.

Was this some kind of vacation to him? ?

The police shouted commands Tarble couldn't think to register, but there didn't seem to be any more action going on.

Wait a minute… the words were beginning to take shape… stay where you are, don't move. Something about house arrest until they were told otherwise.

He felt the tears dribbling off his chin before he realized he was crying and Tarble started making a conscious effort to hold back his sobs.

"A-Aniki…" He muttered pathetically, at a loss for what to do.

"Just stay there, Tarble. This is my fault, not yours." The older boy stated reassuringly. His voice was so calm, Tarble wondered how he could stay so cool with every gun in the room trained on him.

Sirens grew louder until they ultimately stopped in front of his house. How had this all happened? Why was there so much panic?

The police commissioner came bursting through the room, shouting orders and eventually followed by his parents who ran straight to him.

Vegeta continued to lounge on the couch, hoping all this ridiculous parading would be over soon. His morning escapades were starting to catch up with him, causing his muscles to spasm and his joints to creak together. His shoulder and leg felt like they were on fire, and he wouldn't be surprised if the people surrounding him could see the blood throbbing through his head. His headache only seemed to get worse though when some new guy came charging into the room shouting more commands. He walked around the couch and stood in front of the teenager, a smug smirk on his lips.

"Thought you could escape, eh?" He asked, much too confident for his own good.

"Your detective skills are inspiring." The Saiyan responded sarcastically, more annoyed than anything. Afterall, the longer he'd been walking around the city, the more he came to realize he didn't have any way of getting off this planet. And even then, his best bet was to comply if he wanted to regain his memories. In the end, despite how sheltered this planet was from interstellar travel, they did have the technology to travel through space. Which also meant they had the capability to answer his questions instead of the other way around.

"A wise cracker, I see. You'll do well to remember to respect those in charge, punk." The police commissioner warned.

"Commissioner, I assure you this treatment isn't necessary." He heard Tarble's dad try and reason with the other as they were locked in a glaring contest.

"Oh? Is that so? Others seem to think differently. The whole city, in fact, seems to be in a frenzy." He replied, breaking the stink eye he had on the teenager.

"I understand, but if we just give him a chance, I'm sure he's a good kid." He continued, his voice patient and empathetic. The young man raised an eyebrow as he watched the police commissioner slowly give in.

"And? If you're wrong?" He asked, turning back to scowl at extraterrestrial visitor who glared back.

"Then I'll face my punishment accordingly." He stated bravely, without hesitation.

The commissioner took a moment to consider the proposition, slowly walking around the couch back to Tarble and his parents. The three were huddled together with his father standing in front, puffing out his chest in an attempt to appear commanding. The commissioner stopped in front of them, looking the other man up and down.

"Even if he's one of Frieza's men?" He asked, causing a thick silence to wash over the room. Tarble gaped at the information, flicking his eyes to the couch but unable to see his aniki over the top.

"Yes." His father responded, infallibly. The commissioner chuckled but seemed to concede.

"Alright. But if he starts so much as a scrap in an alley, your neck is going to be on the line." He warned. He then signaled to his men to roll out and just like that the four of them were left alone in the house. Tarble let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, surprised when he suddenly saw his mother run out of the room. He blinked, confused. His father sighing caught his attention and he turned to look at the man who greeted him with a warm smile.

"Tarble, would you be able to get the guest bed ready? I'm sure your friend would prefer that over the couch." He said with a smile, coaxing his son to go ahead. The youngest gave a hollow nod, scurrying off to do as he was told.

Vegeta listened to the three of them disbanded, waiting patiently as he heard the leisurely footsteps of Tarble's father approach him. He pushed himself to an elbow, attempting to sit up but was instead met with a hand that motioned him to lay back down.

"When Tarble comes back I'll have him help you to your room. For now, relax." He instructed, walking over to a table where he picked up a small tablet. In his other hand he grabbed a footrest and pushed it in front of the couch, then sat down and began scrolling through applications on his tablet.

"Have you remembered anything new? Like a name, or where you're from?" He asked simply, glancing up from what he was doing. The teenager shook his head.

"No, just more of… this." He replied, indicating the injuries he'd sustained from an unknown relative. The man nodded.

"I see. And the name Frieza? Does it still mean nothing to you?" He continued, holding up the tablet that had a picture of a purple and white alien with cruel, arrogant eyes. He stared a moment longer, but ultimately shook his head. The man nodded, flipping the tablet back to himself.

"Good, that's good." He mumbled under his breath. "Now, I suppose I don't have to tell you that I have a lot riding on your behavior, hmm?" He asked, giving the younger a skeptical eye. The teenager furrowed his eyebrows and glanced away peevishly.

"Now, don't be too hasty to mistrust us. I know you've been through a lot, and we haven't been the most gracious hosts, but our people have been living in fear of Lord Frieza for decades. Maybe even centuries. His is a race of conquerors who profit off the suffering of others. They take planets as either mineral stripping zones or sell them to wealthy races looking to reestablish themselves on more suitable worlds." He explained, causing the other to soften his contemptuous stare. "For some reason, about nine years ago, our planet was miscategorized as gaseous and uninhabitable with no trace of versatile minerals. For decades prior, our planet has always been listed as a second rate exploratory planet, meaning Frieza's astronomy surveillance teams predicted we were in possession of a mediocre supply of precious minerals, which would entail a scouting mission if any of his grand ships were in range."

The man readjusted himself, setting the tablet aside and sitting cross-legged on the footrest.

"Considering the glaring oversight of our planet and how mundane it had originally been labeled in his empire's database, it would seem strange that some person would sift through thousands of planets, stars, asteroids, and other cosmic debris in order to change the status of our simple little home. Unless…" He continued, leaning in closer and earning all the teenager's attention. "Unless someone in his empire had something to hide."

The Saiyan blinked, his eyes wide and bewildered at what he was being told.

"So, what are you saying?" He asked, wondering if he was also drawing the same conclusion. The man grinned.

"Well, going off the Frieza force armor you were wearing upon your arrival, and how similar you look to my son who arrived on this planet nine years ago, I have a hunch that you're the one who changed the records!" He announced, his face lighting up with a bright smile. The teen paled at the information, glancing down at his hands as he closed and opened them.

"I did…?" He asked in amazement. The man nodded enthusiastically.

"I mean, why else would someone from Frieza's army come to this, of all planets, when they have the most vast and accurate map of the galaxy at their disposal?" He asked rhetorically, looking as if he wanted to laugh in triumph at his own theory. "I have a hunch that Tarble was sent to us for some reason. I haven't pinned it down, but there must have been some event that happen where Tarble was no longer able to live with his family and I have a feeling they sent him away, and then changed the records so he would never be tracked down." He explained, glancing from the teenager to something behind the couch. The young man glanced up, finding Tarble standing behind him.

"Don't you think that makes sense?" His father asked, his voice calm and reassuring. Tarble teared up, then turned to look at his aniki.

"Is… is it true?" He asked, his voice almost too quiet to hear. The older boy stared at him long and hard.

"I… don't know." He replied, frustrated more than ever that he couldn't remember. There was a long, awkward silence before Tarble's father spoke up again.

"Well, in any case, someone as beaten and battered as you are would only come here for one reason and one reason only, to escape. And any refugee of Frieza is a friend of ours!" He stated proudly, standing and extending a hand. The teenager took it, shaking the man's hand before he turned his attention back to his son to give him instructions.

"How about we give Shounen-kun a hand to his room, I'm sure he's tired and ready for some proper rest." He instructed. Tarble complied right away, hurrying around the couch and offering a hand to his aniki. The older boy glanced between the two before smirking and accepting the younger's grasp, using the boy as leverage to pull himself into a sitting position. Next, Tarble offered his other hand and helped him to his feet, much to the protest of every corner of his body.

"Aniki, are you alright? You look awfully pale." Tarble observed, his voice concerned. However, the other just grunted between his teeth and began walking for the direction he assumed the bedrooms were.


	8. Planet Katrina

Oritz paced in his room, panicking at the summons he'd received. After all, last week he'd ejected his nephew into the harshness of space, on course for a gas planet so dense it was surely to have ripped his space pod to pieces as soon as it'd hit terminal velocity. He hadn't thought anything of it, and that was truly the greatest downfall of the man to begin with.

He wasn't much of a thinker. More of a doer, and when he did do things, he tended to screw them up.

When Prince Vegeta was meant to report back to mission control for his new assignment, he'd been absent. When the threat of pay dock and corporal punishment had been issued the next day, he still hadn't shown up. In cases like this, enforcers were sent to retrieve the subject and once they did, that person was either punished severely or simply killed for insubordination. After all, it was considered an affront to Frieza himself. Of course, there were ways to avoid such an issue, like if a legitimate concern had come up, or the person in question was unconscious in the ICU tanks, or if they had scheduled ahead of time for a deferral and it had been approved.

Not showing up for a mission debrief was an easy way to be permanently removed from the Frieza Force, and for every person lost there were a dozen more waiting for that seat.

"Shit… Shit!" Oritz muttered to himself, biting his nails frantically. While there were hardly any, for a lack of a better word, friendly faces in the ranks, fighting was discouraged. After all, it could unreasonably damage Frieza's ships or property, or it could end up with a dead officer which could lead to gaps in the ranks. This, of course, was problematic since in the face of his adversaries, it could make Frieza's officers look weak.

Even more seriously, it could be taken as a revolt against the tyrant himself since the person in question would be attacking one of Frieza's men.

That person in question was Oritz, and at the moment he was stalling before his scheduled summons with Zarbon who was currently in charge of all upper ranks. Prince Vegeta wasn't a favorite amongst higher ranking officials, but his attention to detail along with the speed and accuracies of his completed missions was nothing to be scoffed at. It was how he'd been promoted so quickly, the reason he was able to pick his team every time, and also how he hadn't just been labeled a deserter immediately.

Oritz nearly jumped out of his boots when there was a knock at the door.

"Zarbon is ready for you." Came a voice from the other side.

"J-Just give me one more minute." He called back, earning a grunt in return.

"You know he doesn't like to wait." The creature replied before stalking off. Oritz took in a shaky breath, smoothing back his hair and positioning his belt. Well, it was do or die.

He crept through the door of his room and mechanically walked down the hallway, cursing the sweat that was running down his chin and undoubtedly staining his armpits. When he arrived at the meeting room, he swallowed the lump in his throat, praying that this was just a routine check in.

When he walked in, he felt like he was going to pass out.

"Goodness, Oritz, are you alright?" Zarbon asked, his face nowhere near compassionate and tone sounded mocking. Oritz swallowed again.

"Apologies, but the news of my nephew's disappearance has just startled me so." He attempted to cover his ass, internally yelling at himself to calm down.

"Come now, Oritz. There's no need to lie, we both know you hate your brat of a nephew." Zarbon chuckled, gesturing to a chair so the Saiyan could be seated. He gladly obliged and laughed nervously.

"You're right, was nothing but a bit of humor." He said, laughing stiffly. "Just worried about what it would mean for the family name."

"Come now, Oritz. You? Worried about your image? And with him gone, you have no family. In fact, if you wished, you could crown yourself the next King of Saiyans since Vegeta could never find it in himself to take the title from his deceased father." Zarbon chuckled lightly, pretending to wipe a stray tear from his eye. Oritz was panicking, smartly deciding to bite his tongue before he said something else that was stupid.

"Speaking of which, the funny thing is, we can't find any trace of the young Saiyan. His teammates say their last communication was when they were all headed back to the main ship for debrief and medical attention. According to them, he sustained a massive injury to the abdomen and would've needed to spend at least a few hours in the healing tanks." Zarbon stated flippantly, inspecting his fingernails like it was just any other day. Oritz balled his fists to avoid them shaking so hard.

"Yes, he is quite careless. Always running into battle." He replied, laughing nervously.

"Actually, quite the opposite. The twelve other missions launched on that planet were unsuccessful just upon landing. Vegeta, on the other hand, returned without a single life lost. Honestly, he was our last resort before we simply blew the whole planet up and salvaged it for iron. Quite a beautiful landscape it has, really. Especially now that the pervading species has been eradicated. Nasty little creatures, spitting acid that can melt steal, instant camouflage skin, talons like a bird of prey, and rows of monstrous hooked teeth." Zarbon shuttered at the thought.

"Thankfully the planet will be turned over to the highest bidder. I hear it's going to be a summer home for a leader located in the center of the universe. He's said to be quite the collector of exotic locales."

Oritz nodded along, clenching his teeth together so they would stop chattering. Zarbon didn't miss a single moment of his discomfort and grinned mischievously.

"So, Oritz." He stated abruptly, causing the other to jump. The Saiyan coughed and cleared his throat.

"Y-Yes?" He asked, hoping he was free to go.

"I just wanted to ask if you've seen your nephew around. Without him we wouldn't have gotten nearly the same compensation for the planet, and Lord Frieza was going to promote him and his little Saiyan team up another rank each." He stated smoothly, reveling in the pale, clammy features of the man in front of him.

"Y-You don't say." Oritz ground out, cursing his idiocy.

"Yes. I would hate for him to miss out. As arrogant as he is, Lord Frieza thinks he could make an excellent form of command someday. Maybe even join the Ginu Force."

That last part was a lie, but Oritz didn't have to know that. He just had to sit there and squirm.

"You know, if you don't know where he is, you can just say so." Zarbon stated. The relief in Oritz's tense shoulders was almost comical, especially when he thought about how this conversation was going to go.

"O-Oh, well. Uhm, well, I, uh, I haven't actually seen him for some time." Oritz replied nervously. Zarbon smiled sinisterly.

"Oh? Not even after he got back from his mission?" He asked coyly. Oritz coughed nervously again.

"N-Not that I can recall." Damn, it was so damn hot in this room.

"Really?" Zarbon asked. Oritz thought of all the people that had seen him. If he remembered, it was only the little lizard man in charge of the healing tanks. He nodded his head vigorously, just wishing that he could manage to get a grip. Zarbon let out a curious noise, then turned in his chair to regard a large screen. With the remote, he turned the screen on, revealing security camera footage.

Oritz suddenly wished he could spontaneously burst into a million little pieces.

Zarbon played the clipped footage, fast forwarding through the attack in the showers, him sloppily yanking clothes onto the teen, him throwing his nephew over his shoulder, running down the hall, and then depositing him into one of the space pods.

"Oh! Yes! That's right!" Oritz called out, before laughing like a hyena. "Yes, how stupid of me!" He called out, smacking the top of his head. "Yes, of course! That was… uhm… that was…" He tapped his chin, trying to think of a good excuse for why he had nearly murdered the other and then threw him into an unauthorized space pod. Zarbon smiled maliciously.

"That was… what?" He asked teasingly. Oritz giggled fearfully.

"Um, I… Uhm…"

Zarbon chuckled and stood, casually pacing to the other side of the room.

"He left something behind on his mission, didn't he?" Zarbon asked, earning a disarmed look from the man siting in front of him. "Some kind of, oh, I don't know, trinket. From your monkey heritage." He continued, flippantly waving his hand in front of himself to think of something. "Something of great value to your precious Saiyan pride."

A lightbulb suddenly went off in Oritz's feeble mind, realizing what the green man was doing.

"Y-Yes! Absolutely! It's sacred to my people!" He announced, nodding vigorously. "And my stupid, careless nephew left it on that planet. What a shame." Oritz continued, willing himself to shut up before he said something else moronic.

"So, naturally, you had to teach him a lesson." Zarbon continued, receiving more enthusiastic head nodding from the Saiyan. "And then you had to send him to…" He trailed off, allowing Oritz to finish.

"To, uhm, to get another!" He announced with great glee. Zarbon nodded.

"And what planet did you send him to?" He asked, attempting to piece the rest of this ridiculous story together. Oritz nearly fell out of his chair when he remembered.

It was a gas planet.

Denser than planet Vegeta.

Nearly impossible survival.

Dead.

They were both dead.

"I don't recall!" He suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet. "But I can certainly find out and I'll have him back in no time, just you wait!" He announced, striding quickly for the door. As his hand rested on the handle, Zarbon spoke up.

"A wise choice, Oritz. But I'll have you know, if he's not back within the week, that story of yours isn't going to hold up."

Oritz swallowed hard, his hands impossible to steady now.

"O-Of course, sir. Right away." He called over his shoulder, rushing out into the hall until he was far enough away and running, heading for the sleeping quarters of Nappa and Raditz

~0~

"How fucking stupid does Oritz think we are?" Raditz asked over the communicator to the other space pod as the two Saiyans hurdled through space. "A gas planet? Why in the fuck would Vegeta be at a gas planet, and why in the fuck would we need to go get him?" He demanded, unbelievably annoyed he was forced to go on this stupid mission. Nappa was silent for a moment before speaking up.

"Something's not right. Vegeta's not one to do something unless he's getting credit with Frieza." He chimed in. Raditz rolled his eyes.

"No duh! The guy's a kiss-ass. Let him be crushed by the gravity of a super dense gas planet. See if the universe cares."

"Watch it." Nappa warned, and Raditz couldn't help jumping at his tone.

"What's with you? Why do you always kiss the prince's ass?" He demanded, suddenly wondering why he even bothered to stick together with the last of his race. They were going to die out anyways, regardless if they pretended to be friends or not.

"The only reason our prince is getting so chummy with the higher ups is so he can get closer to Frieza, understand?" Nappa stated in a dangerous tone. Raditz grimaced. "The reason he clings to his Saiyan pride and drags your deadbeat ass on missions is because there is nothing he wants to do more than kill Frieza, and I'll happily oblige if it means Saiyan blood ruling the universe."

Raditz considered the thought, thinking he wouldn't mind having Dodoria's job while Nappa had Zarbon's. He sighed heavily.

"Fine, whatever. So, what the hell is he doing out here?" Raditz asked as they approached the large, swirling layers of planet Katrina. Nappa was silent on the other end as he took manual control of his pod and sped off in another direction. Raditz cursed.

"Hey, wait up!"

He followed close after as they circled the planet once until he'd had enough of the silent treatment.

"What's going on with you? And what could Vegeta possibly be retrieving here that he'd need our help?" The younger asked angrily.

"He's not here." Nappa muttered, tinkering with his locator a bit.

"Well, that's obvious. Unless he's in there." Raditz replied, indicating the center of the planet. Nappa shook his head.

"The space pods have a distress box located in each one that can withstand the gravitational mass of a super black hole. It can be faint, but the signal is programmed to resonate at the ends of the gravitational pull to alert other vessels of its location. Unfortunately, it's unable to be traced except for the tail ends of gravitational pulls since it relies on gravity waves, so we'll have to try something else."

Just then, Nappa pulled away, shooting off in the direction they'd come. Raditz swore again, hating when he did that.


	9. Mother

Vegeta slowly blinked, groggily coming out of a deep sleep. When he didn't immediately recognize his surroundings he paused, going over in his head the possibilities of where he might be.

The room was simple and basic, nothing threatening about it. A desk sat in the corner with wires snaking in and around it connected to monitors and other devices. There were a few pictures hung near it, drawings that must have been created by a child, and a few other pieces of furniture in the room like a dresser and armoire.

He blinked again, his attention brought to the window with a semi-transparent shade drawn over it.

 _That's right._ He thought to himself, suddenly recalling the events of that morning.

Assuming it was the same morning… he didn't think he'd slept through an entire day into the next one, but he couldn't be entirely convinced of that.

"Please don't be like that, have a little faith!"

The teenager turned his head and glanced at the door, recognizing the voices of Tarble's parents speaking softly from the other side.

"I'm just asking how you can be so sure that he isn't, you know…"

He turned away from the voices, a sour look on his face. Maybe the woman was right, maybe he couldn't be trusted. Maybe he'd come here to eradicate this species and bleed the planet dry of its resources. Then again, the words of her husband nagged him in the corner of his ear, reminding him of how ridiculous it sounded for a half dead warrior to be sent to conquer a planet. Whatever the answer was, he knew one thing was for certain. At the moment, he had no interest in taking over this planet, especially when he thought about how fond Tarble was of it.

The young man scoffed to himself and closed his eyes.

"You're right, we don't know. However, all I'm asking is for you to trust me, and trust our son."

The Saiyan wrinkled his nose at the sentimental words going on not even ten feet away. Did they really have to do this right in front of the door to his room? Absolutely ridiculous. Just when he thought he was going to be getting some peace though, the door opened and Tarble's mom quietly entered.

"Shounen-kun? Are you awake?" She asked, walking up to him and gently shaking his good shoulder. He cracked open his eyes and stared at her in irritation. "Excellent. We'll need to get fresh bandages on those wounds, I just heard what you've been up to this morning and I can only imagine the terrible shape you're in."

He rolled his eyes in mild disbelief, unwilling to comply since it meant standing up. Although he wasn't feeling the greatest, he was certainly more comfortable than if he was forced to walk around.

"Now, there's no need to worry. I'm a physician's assistant, so I'll be taking care of you here at home. I took the day off as well, so there's no need to rush. Now, if you'll follow me to the bathroom so we can get you cleaned up."

She paused expectantly, her face pleasant and patient as the young man just continued to stare. However, eventually he turned away from her, uninterested in the offer.

"No." He stated, closing his eyes to try and fall back asleep. He'd deal with this later, after he'd gotten a few more hours of rest. What he didn't see was the disintegration of the woman's pleasant smile into a snarl of pure malice and intolerance.

"Young man, I stayed home JUST so I could tend to your injuries! I charge people THOUSANDS for personal care, but out of the GOODNESS of my HEART I am going to be spending my day scrubbing the PUSS and BLOOD out of your injuries before you lose your limbs! Is that clear? ?" She demanded wildly, earning the teen's full attention. He stared at her, eyes wide as she glared holes into his forehead. He nodded twice, half expecting her to blow up again, but instead she let out a breath and returned to a pleasant smile.

"Now then, let me help you up."

The teenager took the offered hand, using it to pull himself into a sitting position and then climb to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily, cursing the dull pain in his broken leg as she allowed him to use her shoulder as a crutch. When they made it to the bathroom, he was instructed to sit on the counter as she ran the water to an acceptable temperature. He tried his best to remove his clothes, but sometime between when he'd put them on and now his joints had become so stiff and sore that he wasn't able to lift his arms over his head. When she noticed this, she climbed on top of the toilet seat next to the counter to give the boy a hand.

"Well, you certainly aren't as shy as Tarble." She remarked when he was standing again so she could remove his pants. He was silent and glanced away, the slightest dusting of a blush over his nose while she began unwrapping the bandages from his leg.

"When we get you in the tub, I'll need to go fetch some tools." She stated, working her way up his injuries as his tail flicked back and forth absentmindedly.

"You know, it's interesting how you always have your tail wrapped around your middle while Tarble always has his out." She observed, needing to climb onto the toilet once again when the bandages were too high for her to reach. The young man frowned thoughtfully, realizing she had a point.

When he was completely stripped except for the cast, she led him over to the shower and helped him to take a seat in the tub.

"I'll be right back." She called out, closing the bathroom door behind her. The Saiyan prince just reclined further down the tub, allowing the warm water to soak his crusty blood clots away. At first it'd stung, but now it felt pleasant and he accepted that the woman had been right.

His cast felt tight, and he knew he'd angered the broken bone by walking on it all morning. He'd have to wait for the swelling to go down before it could be recast, which meant an even longer recovery time. He exhaled bitterly, suddenly wishing he could drift away through the drains to somewhere he wasn't trapped, injured, and amnestic.

He ran his fingers over the scabbed welts on his arm, remembering the searing pain of taking an acid bath before running to a shower to feel the sweet relief of being rinsed clean. What was his life actually like? Was that a daily occurrence he'd always had to worry about? Was someone after his life? He wanted to find out, but in order to do so he had to find a way to go back.

Back to whatever had caused _this_ to happen to him.

The door opened and Tarble's mom had returned with some interesting looking tools.

"Alright, we're going to remove that cast, so I need you to give me your leg."

The teenager raised an eyebrow but ultimately complied, sticking his leg over the edge of the tub as she approached with a saw tool. He glanced up at her, wondering if her intention was to remove his leg entirely and his expression made her chuckle.

"Don't worry, it's not going to cut you." She explained, turning the thing on and brushing it against his knee. He inspected his skin curiously and marveled when there wasn't so much as a scratch, then watched as she began cutting away the plaster.

When it was completely removed, there was an immediate sense of relief he could feel until he glanced down and saw exactly how horribly swollen his leg was.

"You see? This is what happens when you put pressure on it. It's probably going to take a day or two for the swelling to go down, and after that you're not going to be able to walk on it for six weeks."

The teenager frowned. "Six weeks?" He asked incredulously, wondering if it was possible for a person to not walk for six whole weeks. She nodded absolutely.

"Yes. And if I catch you putting weight on it, I'll break your other leg and tie you to a wheel chair." She warned as he lifted his leg back into the tub. Something in her tone made him not question her statement and he swallowed heavily at the thought.

The shower head was removeable with the handle sprayer cradled in a piece that was attached to a pole on the wall. The design made it easy for the head to be adjusted heights, probably designed specifically with Tarble in mind since it could be situated anywhere from three feet to six feet off the ground.

The young man closed his eyes when the spray was aimed for the crown of his head and immediately drenched his hair. She then grabbed a bottle of shampoo, practically emptying it on his scalp as she handed him the sprayer in order to scrub him clean.

The Saiyan wanted to protest, but knew she'd see right through it if he tried to claim he could wash his own hair.

"My, my. When was the last time you brushed this messy hair?" She mused to herself, pulling at some tangles. He winced, frowning deeply until she really began digging into his scalp.

"I'm surprised you aren't covered in flakes of dandruff, there's so much texture in here." She muttered, scratching at a particularly bumpy piece. She was lost in thought until she realized there was a strange rumbling sound coming form somewhere. It wasn't the kid's stomach, she'd heard that terrifying noise before. This one was more like… purring.

Her face lit up with a smile as she paused in her lathering, glancing at his face to find him sitting there with a dumb relaxed smile on his features. She continued scrubbing and the purring only seemed to grow louder.

She wanted to laugh about it but had a feeling she'd just make him self conscious and she certainly didn't want that to happen.

When she finished scrubbing every last inch of his hair line, she instructed him to close his eyes in order to rinse it clean. It was interesting to see him with his hair down, shamelessly covering his face in tendrils. He certainly didn't look quite so menacing without the spiky look; more like a wet cat, especially with how skinny and beaten up he was.

Next was a bottle of body wash and she squeezed some on a damp cloth, grabbing his chin with her free hand and turning his face to look at her. He squirmed in distaste as she scrubbed him clean, rubbing the cloth on his cheeks and forehead then down his neck. He involuntarily leaned in the direction of her hand as she took extra time behind his ears as well as just under his chin, this time unable to hold back a chuckle.

"Just like a cat, huh?" She asked lightly, earning a brooding frown until she coaxed him to sit up and started scrubbing his back. At this point he was willing to throw caution to the wind. After all, what kind of reputation was he trying to uphold in front of a woman he'd already stripped naked in front of? What was the worst that could happen, her telling her husband and son?

Vegeta unintentionally let out a deep groan of delight, his expression like pudding as she'd forsaken the wash cloth and began digging her nails into his skin. All cares and worry seemed to melt away down the drain and he was willing to sit like this for the rest of his life.

When she stopped, however, it took him a moment to reel himself in, realizing he'd been purring like a chainsaw as he wiped a thick line of drool from his chin.

"Feeling better?" She asked, and the teenager coughed lamely, glancing away when he was unable to hide the red tinge in his cheeks. He grunted a response and did his best to help her finish.

After she turned the water off, she grabbed a towel and had him sit forward to gather his hair in a wrap. With his good arm he reached up to inspect it curiously while she patted down his shoulders and chest with another soft towel. He was amazed by the texture, thinking it was almost like being dried off with blankets. He also couldn't help noticing the amount of blood now staining the perfectly white cloth.

The woman then set the towel neatly over his lap and undid the one around his head, draping it over his shoulders. He looked at her curiously as she pulled out a strange looking device and set it on the counter, then reached into the medicine chest and pulled out a hairbrush.

Probably Tarble's.

He thought about protesting, in his mind there was no need for that crap, but gave in before he could even start and grimaced as she began whacking through the knots. For the most part she seemed to know what she was doing, but at other times it felt as if she was trying to rip his scalp from his skull.

When the ordeal was finally over, he thought he was going to be free and clear when she suddenly reached for the weird device again, switching it on and causing warm air to blow out of its nozzle.

"Our neighbor is an inventor. He's made several nifty things for Tarble, he calls this one a hair drier." She explained over the noise. "The first one he made was corded, but I think I'm much happier with this cordless one."

The teen sat patiently as she ran her fingers through his hair to separate the strands and dry them all evenly. She watched in fascination as his hair began standing up the longer she used the little machine until it was eventually set at its familiar height and shape.

"Almost there, just need you to stand up one more time." She instructed, removing the towels from him.

While his injuries had already been oozing a bit by the time he'd gotten into the tub, he needed to use all his concentration not to rip each of them open as he stood up. It wasn't completely possible to stay off the broken leg either, but he did his best as he leaned against the shower wall for her to finish patting him dry.

"Alrighty, I have some hospital scrubs we can put you in until the tailor is finished making you a wardrobe. For the moment, it'll be easier this way for me to access your injuries, so you'll have to bear with it." She stated with a smile. The teenager paused, considering what she said and then realizing it made sense he needed custom clothing considering his size. It wasn't much but he was notably taller than Tarble, and not nearly as lanky.

After dressing each of his lesions she helped slip the sleeves over his arms and gathered the ties to the front, making an easy bow knot. Slowly and carefully he stepped out of the tub, cringing when he had to use his injured leg, and then did his best to limp back to his bedroom. Tarble's mom accompanied him the distance, making sure he arrived intact and gently tucked him back in.

"You get some rest. I'm going to go out and picking up a package of mineral salts for your bath tonight. They're going to quicken the healing process on those open wounds, so they'll be closed up and healed completely in about two weeks." She said, straightening out the blankets. "Is there anything I can get for you?" She asked. He thought a moment and then shook his head, turning away.

The woman nodded, then left the room and closed the door behind her. Vegeta was left alone, clean as a whistle, warm, and safe. He stared down the pristine sheets, gently flexing and pointing his toes.

He'd remembered something from his past, and to his surprise, it was rather pleasant. It was his own mother softly humming a tune as she combed his hair. He tried picturing her face a little more clearly, or what they'd been wearing, or the room they'd been standing in, but the more he tried focusing on the details, the fuzzier the memory became.

He closed his eyes and exhaled, then hummed a few notes until he thought he picked up the tune.

~0~

A/N: vegeta is a slut for back and head scratches and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind

also, if Oritz reminds you of Scar from Disney's The Lion King it's because i was making him up in my mind and then thought 'aw fuck, i've just made a saiyan version of scar' and then proceeded to use the character anyways. i tried to make him a little different, but in the end he killed the king and banished the prince...

welp, as they say, hakuna matata


	10. Forward

Tarble stumbled through the motions of the day, mindlessly following his school routine while his concentration wandered far off. His morning had been a complete scramble and he was sort of upset his parents hadn't let him stay home for the day.

_Aniki works for Frieza?_

He could feel his nose crinkling and his eyes moistening as he fought to control his emotions. Frieza was a horrible fiend! Someone who conquered planets and killed millions, how could this person, who looked similar enough to be his twin, be wrapped up in something like that?

And if that was the case, what was Tarble doing on this planet?

He felt the crushing weight of his uselessness, like a shroud of depressive darkness slumping his shoulders as he stared at the blank notebook in front of him. The only amount of solace he seemed to find in this situation was from old movies he'd watched with his parents. He felt silly since the only kind of information he could rely on was something concocted by the mind of big box office producers. Then again, he didn't think there could possibly be any kind of relevant info anywhere else on this planet.

Maybe somewhere out in the universe there was another little boy with spiky hair and a tail trying to cope with an uncertain and dramatic family history. For now, though, he was stuck comparing himself to overdramatized TV characters.

His mind kept running back to one particular trilogy he liked about a boy who grew up thinking he was an orphan only to find out he had a long-lost twin and his father was an evil overlord trying to take control of the galaxy. Tarble wondered if his parents were still out there somewhere. It would certainly be helpful in answering a lot of the endless questions popping up in his mind.

A touch on his shoulder startled him back to reality and he looked up to find his teacher giving him an empathetic look.

"The last bell rang a few minutes ago, you'll want to hurry to catch your bus."

The young Saiyan blinked until he finally registered what had been said to him and hopped up from his chair, running for the door and shouting a thank you on his way out.

The ride home was uneventful and quiet for Tarble despite the loud conversations of the students around him, his mind wandering further and further into fantasy thoughts. What if Aniki was here to warn him about something? What if he was here to kill him, or take over his planet? And in the process, what if some outside force had tried to stop him? Or what if he'd learned of the demise of this planet and came to warn the inhabitants? What if it was something else entirely and he'd come here to take Tarble away on some fantastic adventure that only the two of them could accomplish?

That last idea made him smile nearly ear to ear. He thought it would be beyond cool for something like that to transpire. Traveling the universe, fighting evil, dismantling Frieza's empire…

His stop eventually came and Tarble hopped off, prancing towards his house with renewed energy like nothing he'd experienced all day. He decided the best way to snap himself out of this fog was to get some answers, and the first thing to do was to help Aniki get his memories back.

"I'm home!" He called out as he threw open the front door, kicking his shoes off and rushing for the back rooms as the door closed behind him.

"Welcome home." His mother commented from the living room sofa, briefly glancing up from her book to give him a smile.

"Where's Aniki?" He asked, setting down his backpack on the dining table and pulling out his homework.

"In the spare room, resting. He's not too happy with me, I'm afraid. After cleaning him up I had to take him to the general practitioner down the street to straighten out his broken leg." She stated flippantly, turning the next page of her book. Tarble winced at the thought of his Aniki having his leg stretched until the bones were reset.

Just then, an idea came to his mind.

"Well, I'm hungry, and I can imagine that if we're anything alike then he probably is too. Would it be alright if I took some snacks up to him?" Tarble asked, a big innocent grin on his face. His mother glanced up and raised an eyebrow, seeing through his generosity but also unwilling to fight with the surly teenager anymore this night. She let out a thoughtful hum and shut her book, climbing to her feet and heading for the kitchen.

"I suppose so. But if you get crumbs on that bed there will be no dinner for you tonight. Understand?" She asked over her shoulder, completely missing the small leap of joy he made as he pumped a fist in the air.

"Yeah, I understand!" He replied as he was handed a tray stacked with food and two bottles of juice.

"One hour. After that, he needs his rest and you have homework." She stated definitely, not letting go of the tray until he gave her a verbal acknowledgement. Tarble hurried up the stairs to the spare bedroom.

He knocked a few times and tried calling out, but there was no answer. He was just about to leave when at the last minute he plucked up a bit of courage and just opened the door, sticking his head around the frame and finding his Aniki laying in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin, glaring at the ceiling. Tarble felt like he'd woken the other up, but also figured he'd be forgiven when he realized there were snacks to be offered.

"Yo, Aniki!" He greeted, closing the door behind him before approaching the bed. The teenager just continued to glare. Tarble panicked a bit, hoping he hadn't made the older boy too mad. "I, um, I brought snacks!" He offered with a nervous smile.

The statement piqued the teen's interest and his expression softened when he confirmed the statement with his own eyes. Without a word he carefully pulled himself into a sitting position and threw aside the covers as an invitation to join him. Tarble's face lit up.

He seemed to make it a bigger ordeal than it needed to be though as he attempted to balance the tray in both hands while simultaneously climbing onto the bed. The unsteady tangle of limbs was finally enough to concern the older Saiyan when the entire contents of the tray were nearly dumped on his lap and he held out his hands to stabilize the younger boy and what he was carrying until he was settled in right next to his Aniki.

"Thanks!" Tarble announced, opening a packaged sandwich and taking a huge bite. Vegeta lightly shook his head but reached for the other package nonetheless. As he took a bite, Tarble asked him a question with a mouth full of food.

"Hey, Aniki?" He asked, his voice muffled. The older boy grunted, not pausing in his meal for conversation either. "Have you remembered anything else?" He asked, swallowing then taking another bite.

"No." He replied with no effort to elaborate. Tarble pondered the situation a moment.

"Do you think you're evil?" He asked simply, mouth still full. "I mean, people with amnesia sometimes forget that they're evil. I saw it in this TV show before where this one girl is found in the woods and the police think she was attacked and as they help her recover her memories, she was actually trying to kill someone and that person is the one who hit her until he thought she was dead." The younger boy rambled, ensuring his mouth was full through the entire explanation. "What do you think?"

Vegeta considered the question a moment before replying through a mouth full of sandwich.

"I don't think I'm good." He answered truthfully, earning a slightly shocked and uncertain look from the younger boy. He swallowed what was in his mouth and stared at the sandwich in his hands, trying to recall information he knew was buried in the recesses of his mind. "But in any cases, I know I wasn't sent here to be evil." He reasoned, continuing with his lunch.

"How can you be sure?" Tarble asked, his question muffled by the food in his mouth and the hesitation in his voice.

"I just do." He snapped back, a bit of bread flecking out from his mouth. An uncomfortable pause filled the air a moment before Tarble spoke up again.

"Well, I believe you." He stated assuredly. The older boy ignored him, but there was a subtle amount of relaxation in his shoulders at the declaration.

"Hey, Aniki?" He asked again, reaching for a piece of fruit after finishing his sandwich.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think, maybe, possibly… Do you think it might be possible that we could be, maybe, related? By chance?" He asked, beating around the question nervously, hardly able to look anywhere near the other boy.

"Duh." The other answered simply, also picking up a piece of fruit. Tarble was a bit shocked at the directness of his answer and his bewildered expression gave it away. "What? It seems pretty obvious." He continued, taking a bite. "You're telling me you've never found out where you're from?"

Tarble shook his head. "No, we don't have any kind of interplanetary communication because everyone is worried that we'll be invaded if Frieza intercepts any of the messages." He stated forlornly. "There's an emergency website with pictures of a few of his crew in case anyone comes across one of them and can report it." He offered, reaching for the bedside table and opening a drawer to pull out a tablet. He pulled up the site and scrolled through a few of the documented pictures but Tarble was right. The two of them looked nothing like the overlord, the effeminate green one, the round purple one, or any of the other brightly colored alien portraits rolling by.

"The only one that might be it is this fat guy down here." The younger said, scrolling past a few more photos to one of a fleshy man. The guy was an ordinary height, rotund, and had a similar but unimpressive hairstyle as the two boys. The older boy swallowed what was in his mouth and narrowed his eyes, staring intently and wondering if he was recalling a memory or projecting the similarities.

"He has something around his waist, kinda like how you wrap your tail around yours." Tarble observed, pointing to the screen.

_"Is that your new brother?"_

_A drop in his stomach, anger, and distress. He'd been caught, he'd get in trouble. Father would be mad._

_But why? What did he do wrong?_

"Aniki?"

The older boy snapped back to reality and glanced at the other beside him. A flash crossed his vision, a new baby with tall, dark spiky hair. He was so small, so weak.

"I… think I remember something." He murmured, reaching out to pick a crumb from the corner of Tarble's mouth.

"Really, what do you remember?" He asked, his eyes glistening.

"I think I remember you. When you were a baby."

Tarble's face lit up. "So, we are brothers! That's so cool!" He called out. Vegeta frowned.

"Don't go assuming things." He replied bitterly, going back to his lunch. Tarble deflated but figured the other was right. It didn't stop him from hoping, however.

"Hey, Aniki?"

"What?" The teen replied, getting a little miffed at all the questions.

"So, you still don't remember your name? Or who you are?"

The teen sighed. "No. And constantly asking isn't going to help." He retorted. Tarble paused a moment, wondering if he was being too nosey, but ultimately decided to persist.

"Don't you think we should give you a name though? At least for the time being?" He asked, flashing him a big smile.

"You already gave me a name." He shot back. Tarble deflated, whining just a bit.

"Aniki isn't a name! Can I call you nii-san?" He asked desperately, earning a snarl of impatience.

"Call me that again and I'll kick your ass." Vegeta warned, baring his teeth. Tarble whimpered as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Sorry! Sorry, I just…" He glanced away sheepishly, his expression downcast. "I've just never had someone who could relate to me. I love my parents, and I have many friends, but I know I don't belong here." He explained softly, setting the core of his fruit on the tray. There was still plenty to eat, but he could no long find the appetite. "And no one has any answers. What am I? Where do I come from? What is my species like, and what is my home planet like?" He asked, not expecting an answer. Vegeta's expression softened a bit. He was right, and the older boy could definitely sympathize.

The older Saiyan plopped a hand down on top of the younger's head and ruffled his hair, ignoring the stray sniffle that came from his relative. There was no doubt about it, they were family. And he desperately wished to give the other a better answer than that.

"What are you crying for? At least you have a name." The older observed, folding his arms in his lap and rolling his eyes.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Tarble lamented, wiping a stray tear that drippled down his cheek.

"Quit apologizing, it's annoying." He said in a bitter tone, grabbing the last bite to eat and stuffing it in his mouth before setting the tray on the nightstand beside his bed.

"R-Right…" Tarble affirmed, catching himself before he could say sorry again. Vegeta grabbed the tablet out of his little brother's hands and scrolled through a few more of the pictures. When he reached the end, he couldn't say if anything in his mind was worth reflecting on. The faces seemed familiar, as if he had to interact with the creatures on a daily basis and never bothered to learn their names. They all appeared to be tough and muscly, but then again, he himself didn't look too shabby. That is, compared to Tarble who seemed as if a slight gust of wind could blow him over. When he was finally out of this accursed bed, he'd have to give his muscles a good workout.

He absentmindedly scrolled back up through the photos, landing on the fat purple one that looked like an oversized toad. There was a description below the photo about how this alien was apparently in the high command of Frieza's empire.

"Dodoria…" He sounded the name out, not liking the taste it left on his tongue, nor the ire that settled in his stomach. Somehow, he knew what it was like to take a beating from the creature, and somehow, he knew it wasn't the worst scolding he'd received. He remembered that smile was always condescending, looking down on anyone that was any kind of rank below him. Vegeta frowned and scrolled up to the next picture.

"Zarbon…" He tried next, liking the sound of this name even less. Despite his glowing features and groomed appearance, he knew this one was also not to be messed with. Essentially Frieza's right hand man, it was no wonder the description included a bit about not approaching this one. He could almost hear the smugness from the photo before realizing it was actually a memory of his. Zarbon was speaking to him, asking him a question in a careful tone as if he was talking to a child. Of course, he was a child in the eyes of these grown men, nevertheless, he couldn't stand being looked down on for his age.

_"My, my. You're quite brave for a little boy. I'm sure your father would be very proud if he could see you now."_

_Zarbon was kneeling before him, yet still able to look down at him. He realized he must have been very young, and yet even that didn't stop his fiery tongue._

_"A Saiyan never forgets his pride!" He practically spat back at the man, his features contorting from anger. Despite how menacing he always tried to seem, he also knew he was too young to be taken seriously by most. And if he knew he couldn't win in a one on one fight, he'd prove it through his work._

"Aniki, do you remember these two?" Tarble suddenly broke through his thoughts. The older boy blinked himself back to reality, the memory filing itself into his mind. He grunted in acknowledgement which didn't really give Tarble an answer, but he figured it would be too risky to press. The older boy scrolled to the last picture and narrowed his eyes, not having to speak his name to know how he felt. When Tarble's father had first shown him this picture he'd definitely recognized it but didn't want to admit to anything until he was sure.

Several memories flashed at once, each less pleasant than the last. The sensation of his stomach churning whenever he was made to bow before the alien. Fear when a mission he'd commanded hadn't gone as expected. Bitter contempt when he recalled his position was nothing more than a circus act, his team like dancing chimps all for the entertainment of Frieza.

A crack broke the silence and Vegeta glanced down to see the screen had gone black, the tablet now snapped in two pieces. He scoffed at the sight and threw the ruined technology at the foot of the bed, then slid down under the sheets and turned away from Tarble.

The younger stared in horror at the little computer, completely at a loss for words. How could he have been so careless? ? How could he be so strong? !

"Aniki… what the heck was that!" He demanded, wondering how he was going to hide it from his parents before they could find out and get even more mad.

A knock at the door made him yelp in surprise as he sprang from the bed and promptly tripped over his own feet in an attempt to grab the tablet.

"Tarble? Is everything alright? It's time for you to start your homework." His mom called out, and before he could respond, the door opened and she found her son sitting on the floor, scrambling to hide something behind his back with a sheepish smile.

"Alright, mom! I'll be down in a minute!" He replied suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes and glanced over to find the older one sulking in bed. She decided whatever it was that happened, she didn't want to have to deal with it later and turned back to face Tarble.

"What are you hiding?" She asked simply. Tarble swallowed nervously, having always been a terrible liar.

"N-Nothing!" He replied dumbly. In return he received an even more pointed glare until he could no longer handle the weight of the accusatory stare and deflated, sighing heavily and pulling out the ruined tablet from behind his back.

It took a moment before she realized what he was holding and couldn't believe her eyes.

"What in the world-! How did this happen? ?" She demanded. Tarble flinched, his eyes mistakenly darting over to his brother before he could help it.

"I didn't…! I mean! It's, um, it's not what it looks like! Okay, it's exactly what it looks like… but it, uh, it was an accident!" He explained terribly, tears creeping into the corner of his eyes. He was so terribly scared for his brother, sure the guy was rough around the edges and an absolute moody pain in the butt, but this was his chance! His chance to finally learn who he was! He'd wanted this for so desperately long it was almost painful, and he was going to do everything he could to salvage the situation.

"That's it, I've had it with you!" She announced, marching into the room right by her son.

"Mom, no! Please! It was my fault, I swear!" Tarble begged, frozen in shock. What surprised him even more was when she reached out and took hold of the other's ear, tugging with all her might despite the bewildered shout of pain.

"Fuck!" He cried out as he was dumped onto the floor and promptly dragged from the room. Tarble's mouth dropped at the sight.

"Might I remind you that if you try using that cast leg, my promise to break your other one still stands." She warned in a dangerously low voice.

"You crazy bitch!"

Tarble was still sitting in shock as he heard every thump of his brother being pulled down the stairs until the slam of a door knocked him to his senses. He jolted to his feet and skipped down the stairs, making a sharp turn through the laundry room and to the door that led to the garage. The sight of his mother trying to stuff the other boy into the front seat of her car made him pause in uncertainty until she commanded him over.

"Come help me get him in the car!" She barked at her son, earning a squeak of affirmation in return.

"You're a bunch of psychopaths!" Vegeta shouted, but the encompassing ache of his body subdued him from any kind of physical confrontation. After all, getting away from these overbearing parents and clingy kid would probably be a blessing. At this point he didn't care where this crazy old lady was taking him, as long as it was away from these doting and archaic healing methods.

"Tarble, get in the car." She ordered, and he complied without hesitation. Although the vehicle was the largest available on the consumer market, it was almost too small for the two Saiyan boys. The front seat had been moved back as far as possible with the back laid down, giving the older just enough room to extend his leg, while the younger was crammed in the back seat. He hoped his Aniki could read the silent apology written all over his large glistening eyes, and he was sure the message was understood. However, the murderous glare he was receiving wasn't too comforting.


	11. Reconnaissance

Oritz paced nervously on a flight deck of the main base aero ship. He was sweating profusely and muttering ideas to himself about how he could possibly fix this situation, and then how could he possibly be this much of an idiot, and whether or not he had enough reliable underworld contacts to squirrel him out of Frieza's empire.

That last part was just an attempt to comfort himself but ended up doing the opposite when he realized it wasn't possible to run away from the overlord.

The docking stations for two of the ejected space pods suddenly lit up with landing sequence commands, preparing the airlock and decontamination foam upon arrival of the crafts. In just a few minutes they were docked and the space pods scrubbed, all while Oritz was about ready to have an aneurism from waiting around for what felt like an eternity. When Nappa and Raditz stepped out of their pods, his heart deflated just a touch when he knew for certain he'd killed his nephew. Nevertheless, he didn't want to give up the ruse just yet.

"So? What news did you obtain?" He asked, hoping he came off as even somewhat commanding. Thankfully, Nappa was loyal to the deceased king to a fault and played along with answering orders from the king's brother in law.

"Crushed beneath the gravity of the planet." Nappa replied curtly, the sharp glare in his eye duly noted. Either the man saw through his lame excuse for the disappearance of Prince Vegeta and was trying to find a way to unveil how Oritz had managed to kill him, or he was upset that the next in line for the Saiyan throne was none other than the pudgy Saiyan himself.

Of course, the King of all Saiyans was meant to be the strongest, meaning Nappa and Raditz could easily kill him for the throne. He made a mental note to discuss an alternative option with the two of them and come to some sort of passive solution. After all, they were more than welcome to fight each other over the title, he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Well, it seems I must write up my report for Lord Frieza. Such a shame that such a promising young man came to an untimely death in such a tragic accident." Oritz lamented, feigning dabbing a tear from his eye.

"Such." Was all Raditz replied, a menacing glare in his eye as well. Oritz laughed weakly, then cleared his throat and excused himself. The two warriors watched him go until he was out of sight, then Nappa broke away.

"Come on, we've got work to do." He stated over his shoulder. Raditz did a double take.

"Wait a second, our mission is up and the midget prince is dead. What kind of work could possibly need our attention right now?" He complained, following after the man despite his observation. Nappa abruptly stopped and narrowed his eyes at the other who nearly walked into him.

"You're such a fucking idiot, you know that, right?" He asked condescendingly. Raditz flared up and wanted to shout after him, but Nappa gave him the 'enemy warning' hand signal which meant to shut up or be killed. He begrudgingly followed after, attempting to glare a hole into the other man's stupid bald head.

They turned into a data processing room and Nappa headed over to an isolated monitor in the corner of the room. They both took a seat and he pressed a button on the keyboard only to be met with a login screen.

Nappa stared at the monitor and blinked, pondering the situation for a moment until a lightbulb went off in his brain. With the index finger on each hand, he slowly typed something into the username dialogue box, and then into the password dialog box. However, when he hit submit, it came back with an error message.

"When the fuck have you ever used a computer, old man?" Raditz asked in a mocking tone.

"Oh yeah? Last I heard you could barely read." He sneered back, offering the younger to give it a shot. Raditz grumbled something but accepted the challenge and immediately failed. He cursed under his breath, tried again, and was met with the same error message.

"You know, if you type in the wrong login too many times, the system will lock the device." A small nasally voice came from behind them. The two Saiyans turned to find one of the resident IT guys standing behind them. He was the type to never have gone on a mission because his brain was preferable to his brawn and was therefore stuck in some less-traveled corner of the ship doing tedious coding and paperwork. Nappa and Raditz then glanced between each other and exchanged a particularly malicious smile.

"Is that so? Then why don't you lend us a hand over here." Raditz offered, his tone quiet and dangerous as he placed a hand on the other's shoulder. The little creature suddenly realized he made a terrible mistake but preferred his face the way it was currently arranged.

Oritz stood outside the entrance of the grand masters' wing, staring at the absurdly large and imposing doors. Beyond it he needed to find Zarbon and give him his report on the death of Prince Vegeta, but the cowardliness inside him was screaming to hightail it out of there and delay this meeting as long as possible. He knew that was a terrible idea and would only result in further unpleasant repercussions, but he just couldn't help the intrusive thoughts. He sighed heavily, begging his legs to make the first move and yet they remained stationary.

Just then the doors creaked open and he was face to face with an imperial guard. The man blinked, mystified, then seemed extraordinarily relieved.

"Sir, Oritz sir! I was just given an order by Zarbon to retrieve you and bring you to him straight away! Gosh am I glad to see you here!" He exclaimed, turning on his heel and heading back the way he came. "This way, sir!"

Oritz swallowed heavily and plastered a shaky smile on his lips, cursing himself for not doing anything. If he'd hid, he'd be found eventually but could have had some time to enjoy the last precious moments of his life. If he'd gone ahead, no one would have found him because they would have all assumed he was hiding. It was unmistakable that the look on the soldier's face was relief for not have to comb the entire ship for the Saiyan. Once he'd managed to hide for three days and gave the excuse that he'd gotten lost and accidentally fell into one of the mortuary refrigeration tables.

He mechanically followed the other man, huffing in agony when they reached the top of the stairs.

"Boy!" He called out between wheezes. "Why in the world didn't we take the elevator? !"

He missed the dubious grin from the other as he pressed the called button next to the door and announced himself and Oritz. The door slid open and he stepped aside, gesturing for the Saiyan to enter. He took one last large breath and puffed out his chest, walking into the room with pride and purpose until he saw that the only person in there was Dodoria.

The door swooshed closed and he let out the air in his lungs, giving the purple alien an annoyed look and dropping his stack of papers onto the table.

"Where's Zarbon?" He asked, noting that the green alien had never once been late to a meeting with him. Dodoria grinned ominously.

"Well hell, I guess neither of us is going to win the bet." He chuckled as Oritz also took a seat.

"Bet?" The Saiyan asked, genuinely confused.

"Yeah. We both figured it'd take at least a few hours to find your new hiding spot. I bet twelve hours, Zarbon was kind and only bet eight." He explained, his smile predatory. Oritz tugged at the collar of his uniform, noticing how warm it felt in the room.

"So, uh, can we expect Zarbon back soon?" He asked, desperately changing the subject. "Because, if not, I have a few things I need to take care of before the end of the day. Gotta stay busy, you know." He continued, trying to move things along.

"Hold on, now. What's the rush?" The larger man asked, relishing in the other's discomfort. "I suppose I could just tell you what this whole meeting is about, but it'd probably piss Zarbon off."

"Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Oritz reasoned, standing up once again and hoping to skip out of there before he was asked to stay and wait. He didn't find it comforting to be alone with Dodoria when the guy stared at him like a juicy piece of meat.

"You're right, who cares what Zarbon thinks."

"I was thinking the exact same thing. In fact- wait, what?"

Oritz was caught off guard and shrunk back into his seat, not liking where this was going. Dodoria grinned.

"I don't know the specific details behind anything, but the simple point is we need access to old information."

Oritz stared blankly at the other. That's it? Information? What else could they want? He'd already spilled damn near everything he knew.

"What kind of stuff are we talking about?" He asked hesitantly, wondering if he was going to have to pull out some half-baked answer and plan around the repercussions.

"Turns out there was an electrical surge nine years ago that wiped out a small bit of data from our network. Data that mostly had to do with our Saiyan Infant Exploration Pods."

Oritz turned a shade green, remembering that whole debacle where he'd managed to get his home planet and nearly all his race eradicated. Dozens of babies had been sent out into space to conquer low level planets in the name of Frieza, and to his knowledge he thought they'd all been wiped out when he'd heard the tyrant give the order.

"Well, uh, unfortunately any kind of information would have been stored on planet Vegeta. And of course, as you know…"

Dodoria chuckled, almost a little too pleasantly.

"No need to explain, I remember that little fireworks show. And I don't think I need to remind you that Frieza doesn't like leaving loose ends."

Oritz hid his hands in his lap so the other man couldn't see them shaking. "B-B-But, I couldn't possibly know! If there aren't records here, then they aren't anywhere!" He tried to reason. However, his floundering only seemed to amuse the other.

"That doesn't sound like it's my problem, Oritz." Dodoria replied, leaning forward in his chair. "That just sounds like you need to find a creative solution to my problem before I kill you and take care of it myself."

Oritz couldn't help making a distressed noise at the threat and nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes sir, right away!" He replied, standing, bowing quickly, and then scurrying out of the room. Dodoria chuckled softly, thinking about how much he loved his job. Afterall, how hard was it to find Saiyan babies when they can transform into giant gorillas at the sight of a full moon?

~0~

Nappa stared at the information on the screen, memorizing every bit of it. He knew if this information were to get out it could give Oritz an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"When you two were first sent to investigate Prince Vegeta's space pod, you were only sent destination coordinates. But since you passed through at least some of his route, you were able to pick up enough of his leftover transmissions to indicate he'd changed his route. Once his path was in range of the exploration pods, the record was logged and brought back with you onto this fleet ship." The little alien explained, taking pride in his work. If only he could shove this in the faces of the rest of the IT department, maybe then they'd all stop making fun of him.

"Permanently delete the record." Nappa ordered, sitting back from the monitor when he was satisfied that he'd memorized the coordinates. The small alien gaped at him, unsure if it was wise to destroy something from imperial records. However, the underlying threat in Nappa's eyes convinced him otherwise.

"Alright, alright." He muttered unhappily, angry that he couldn't brag to his coworkers.

Raditz raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to explain anything, or just continue to do meaningless things?" He asked, rolling his eyes when Nappa made no attempt to answer him. The third member of the party did exactly as he was told, but not before also memorizing the coordinates. Yes, that's right, there was a reward for snitching on mutinous crew members, and these two were definitely up to something nefarious.

"It's all deleted permanently?" Nappa asked, his tone threatening and eyes murderous. The little man nodded quickly, thankful for his impenetrable poker face. "Good."

The bald man's dubious grin was the last thing the little alien saw before he was struck on the back of the head and knocked unconscious. Nappa quickly exited all the open programs and shut off the computer before grabbing the scruff of the guy's uniform in his hand and nonchalantly carrying him out of the room like he was a shopping bag. Raditz continued to grow more confused and figured there was a decent explanation for all this. He ran after the bigger man, catching up as he strolled down the hallway.

"Would you just tell me what's going on in that fat head of yours?" He demanded, stopping next to the man as he stood in front of a trash compactor. Raditz watched as the little alien was thrown down the shoot, thudding loudly all the way down the metal ducts. Nappa casually shut the door, locked it, and initiated the incineration feature, setting the outside door to open and release its contents when the trash had been destroyed. He then turned his attention to the younger Saiyan, grabbing his arm and dragging him down the hallway like a child.

He was surprisingly quiet as he was pulled by Nappa until the older man ducked into a utility closet and shut the door.

"What the hell is…" Raditz was cut off by a large hand enveloping his mouth, forcing him to stop speaking.

"The prince is alive, but Oritz doesn't need to know that. Once we retrieve him, we can finally dispose of that traitorous shit but until then we've gotta lay low. So keep your fucking mouthing shut, got it?" He explained, earning a nod as a response. "Good."

Nappa released Raditz and opened the door, striding down the hallway with purpose. The younger stood motionless for a moment, absorbing all the information he was told before exiting as well and heading in the opposite direction.


	12. Admission

When Tarble's mom had pulled into the parking lot of his school, he'd been rather confused. It didn't make a whole lot of sense until he remembered that the monitor of Kendale Elementary Robotics Club was best friends with his mom. The two had grown up together and gone off to live their own lives but never lost touch. As Tarble and Vegeta sat in the teacher's classroom, they watched her work on putting together a specially made mobility chair for the older Saiyan.

"Now, what I've built today is just a prototype and the real thing should be done within the week. It's a little old school, but it'll definitely get you around a lot easier." She said as she indicated the wheel chair she specially made for the injured boy. He inspected it, still seated in one of the little student chairs and was satisfied. It was a standard little chair with two large wheels in the back and two small ones in the front, along with an extended footrest for his broken leg. The only remarkable thing about it was that it was made for someone with his dimensions.

"The real thing is going to be way cooler." She explained, walking over to show them some diagrams. "It'll be able to hover so you can go up and down the stairs, so I look forward to seeing you again then." She said with a smile. "Now, let's get you into your new chair!" She stated, motioning to Tarble to help his brother up.

Tarble lent a hand to help his Aniki stand up, but like every other time, he was more of a stabilization than actual help. He just couldn't get over how heavy and dense the other was, and he wouldn't be surprised if it turned out the guy was twice his weight.

The older Saiyan plopped into the chair with a sigh, getting himself into a comfortable position.

"So? What do you think?" She asked, hoping to add any improvements into the newer model. "I didn't want to make the back too high, otherwise it would be harder for you to move the chair, so I hope the measurements are alright."

Vegeta pushed off and rolled around the classroom a bit, admiring all the robotics pieces in every corner. This species certainly was advanced if it was teaching such young children about such innovative subjects. He just wondered why they couldn't have done something more for medical advancements.

"Feels good." He said, tipping back to do a wheelie.

"Aniki!" Tarble warned, hoping the other wasn't going to break himself even worse with his new found freedom. A knock came at the door and all three turned to see Tarble's mom with two other men.

"Looks like we won't be able to keep this troublemaker cooped up much longer." She observed with a hint of a smile. "Come with me you two, I have one more thing I need to get done."

Tarble and Vegeta exchanged a look, neither one knowing what she was talking about. They thanked the teacher and left the room, heading down the hall to the administration office. The teen allowed the younger boy to push him through the school, his expression bored as they entered the principal's office. The man was practically the same as every other creature on this planet, and if they all didn't start wearing nametags soon, he was going to have a serious problem trying to differentiate everyone.

"It's good to meet you, Shounen-kun." The principal greeted with a smile. "I am Principal Quinoa and I want to be the first to welcome you to our school."

The young man blinked, unamused and wondering when they were going home.

"I have a few questionnaires on my computer I want to get through with you for academic purposes. Everyone is very excited to have you." He continued, standing up and moving his chair aside to offer him the space. The teen raised an eyebrow in amusement, knowing he wasn't the academic type, but was willing to do anything to let him leave this place already. He wheeled around to the monitor and used the cursor to click 'Begin'.

"I just have to speak with Tarble and his mother a minute, so we'll be in the other room." He stated cheerily, leading the two out and shutting the door. Vegeta barely acknowledged them as they left and continued to read.

"If Joe has seven flarfel bats, and Coco has eleven flarfel bats, who has more flarfel bats?" He narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd get in trouble for punching a hole in the computer screen. "What the hell is a flarfel bat?"

~0~

The car ride home was awkward and tense, but Tarble kept trying to glance over and see if his aniki was still mad. No matter how many times he looked out of the corner of his eye though, the older Saiyan was still wearing the same angry features.

"Aniki, I'm sorry, I had no idea…" He whispered, leaning in closer.

"You're dead to me." Vegeta seethed back, baring his teeth.

"Now, now. There's no need to be so upset, especially with Tarble. He had no idea his father and I had talked about this." His mom stated, giving the older boy's knee a gentle squeeze. "Besides, with your scores you could use a good education. I thought you were the older boy?" She asked, genuinely curious. However, there was no way to make that observation anything other than demeaning.

"The both of you can go to hell." The older Saiyan retorted, folding his arms.

"Maybe it'll be a good thing." She continued, unperturbed. "If you're in class with Tarble he could give you some pointers. You did score mostly into grade four, so maybe I can get you the same teacher."

The older boy groaned, annoyed. "I told you, I'm not going to this blasted school." He said in a warning tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I gave you a choice." She retorted sarcastically. "You ARE going to school, there is NOTHING to discuss, and if you feel otherwise, then I can arrange for the commissioner to come pick you up tomorrow. I'm sure there are a lot of 'scientists' and 'doctors' who are more than excited to visit you in jail and give you all kinds of examinations. I know I've had to turn down plenty who were interested in taking my Tarble away to their secret labs." She said as they pulled into the garage. Vegeta grumbled bitterly to himself as the two exited the car. He had to wait for Tarble to remove the wheel chair from the roof and then help him out of the tiny clown vehicle. He debated whether it was a better idea to stay in this house with this obnoxious family, or to just cut his losses and go to prison. Either way it would get him outside and doing things, but he couldn't help feeling an attachment to Tarble. After all, he was the only familiar face on this whole planet.

Vegeta didn't say a word as he was wheeled into the house and to the bottom of the stairs. Tarble glanced at him, and then at the stairs.

"Aniki…" He whispered. "I don't think I can pull you all the way up the stairs."

There was a long pause of silence before the boy eventually hefted himself out of the chair and onto his good leg. He hopped carefully over to the banister and then up the first step. _Not bad_ , he thought to himself, hopping up a few more one at a time.


	13. School

Tarble shut off his alarm the moment it made its first blare, already dressed and ready for the day. It was nearly impossible for him to fall asleep last night and he couldn't help waking up with only a few hours of shut eye. He was just too darn excited.

Today was Aniki's first day of school!

He'd been tasked with waking the older boy up and getting him ready, and he didn't mind it one bit. Especially since his mom kept threatening him with bodily harm every time he expressed his distaste with the situation. It would take some adjusting, but Tarble was sure his aniki would come to like it. After all, it was great getting to hang out with friends and do fun activities like art and sports. And with Flarfel Fetch tryouts around the corner, he was sure the other boy would love to play.

The younger Saiyan hurried out of his room and had to remind himself to calm down. After all, aniki wasn't the excitable type. He seemed much more likely to just get angry and blow up at a situation.

He knocked on the other's door and waited a moment, then knocked again.

"Aniki, are you up?" He asked simply, having to hide the sing-song tune he was so tempted to speak in. When he didn't get a response, he opened the door a touch. "Aniki?"

Just then it slammed shut in his face, nearly catching his nose and fingers in the doorframe.

"Aniki! That's not very nice!"

Annoyed grumbles came from the other side, but Tarble could also hear footsteps retreating and ventured to open the door again.

"Aniki, are you almost ready? I'll start heating up breakfast." Tarble offered, noticing the other Saiyan perk up ever so slightly at the sound of food being prepared. Vegeta turned, his expression still obviously sour.

"What kind of ugly wardrobe do these people get their clothing from?" The teen said with disgust, tugging at the blue tunic and belt. Underneath it was a form fitting striped body suit accompanied with gloves and boots.

Only one boot for Vegeta, the other foot was still wrapped in a cast.

"I don't mind it. And I think you look good." Tarble offered with a smile. He was wearing practically the same uniform, which everyone else on this blasted planet seemed to also be wearing. The older boy shot him an angry glare and he bit his tongue.

"Um, well, breakfast in ten minutes?" He asked, not waiting for a reply and closing the door, dashing down the stairs.

Tarble stacked two plates with meat, casserole, and toasted pastries before putting everything away again. Right on schedule he heard the other Saiyan thumping down the stairs one hop at a time, then taking his seat in the wheelchair and wheeling himself over. He arrived at his spot at the table with an expression that was just ever so slightly less agitated than before and picked up his fork.

"Thank you for the meal."

Tarble beamed as he watched the other eat, then began scarfing down his portion as well.

"Your shoulder isn't bothering you too much, is it? I don't mind pushing you." Tarble offered.

"It's fine." The teenager replied, taking a large gulp of water. He'd been told that when he got to school, his hover chair would be ready anyways. The injury to his shoulder had mostly healed up, but since he had to use his arms to move, it did get sore at times. He didn't like admitting it though and would rather suffer through it at his own pace. He didn't need someone to dote on him hand and foot.

With breakfast finished, they were ready to head out. Tarble had packed the other Saiyan his backpack of school belongings, having had gone out with his mom to buy folders, paper, pens, notebooks, and the like. He loved the process of getting new supplies and was the one actually excited about this whole escapade. He hung the bag over the back of the chair and followed the older boy out, locking the door behind them.

"Are you sure you want to take the school bus? Mom said we could take a cab. She left money on the table." Tarble asked as they set off down the sidewalk to wait for the bus.

"Ditching is my first choice." He mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Aniki!" Tarble chided, ready to drag his chair all the way to school if he had to. He'd told everyone his brother would be coming to join them to the point where it was getting on his teacher's nerves.

They were the first ones at the stop and Tarble couldn't hide his smile as he saw two of the other kids approaching.

"Rasp! Straw! Good morning!" He called out, waving his hand over his head. It looked like their mom was also walking with them and the two brothers waved back sheepishly. They stopped quite a distance away, fidgeting awkwardly and Tarble bounded over to meet up with them.

"That's my brother over there!" He announced, pointing at the one in the wheel chair. Vegeta ignored them but couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the comment. When had they agreed on 'brother'?

"You're right, Tarble. He looks just like you!" One of the boys stated, trying to duck around the Saiyan to get a better look. Tarble noticed the mom put a hand on her son's shoulder, holding him back. She smiled sweetly, but he couldn't help wondering why they were standing so far away.

"Tarble!" A familiar voice called out.

"Gure! Good morning!" He called out, dashing the opposite direction past his aniki. The two hugged like the event the week before had never happened. Of course, the first time they'd seen each other again had been awkward, but they'd gotten past it and just laughed it off now.

"Shounen-kun, nice to see you again!" She called out, bouncing up to Vegeta. He ignored her, his arms folded across his chest. "Still just as quiet, I see." She murmured, turning back to Tarble.

"So, whose class is he going into?" She asked cheerily. Tarble beamed.

"Ours!" He exclaimed. Gure's face lit up and the two jumped with excitement together. Vegeta glowered at the disgustingly happy scene going on just next to him, catching the reaction of the three still several feet away. The kids seemed excited, but he couldn't help noticing the mom looked apprehensive. It made sense, he did land on this planet in the uniform of a soldier of Frieza. It was only logical to be wary of him. Which made the other two all the more odd.

Around the corner came a large orange bus and the kids all waited patiently as one last child came running down the street. Vegeta grumbled something in annoyance when everyone was polite enough to let him get on first. He stood from his chair and hopped his way onto the bus, ducking into the first available seat while Tarble folded and carried the chair onto the bus. He stashed it in the row beside his aniki and sat next to him, positively beaming as the other kids got on.

Tarble spent the entire ride turned around talking to other children while Vegeta stared out of the window watching all the scenery go by. He caught bits and pieces of their conversations and it was just normal silly kid stuff. He wondered if he ever got to experience a life like this and was suddenly thankful he was wearing long sleeves. It would definitely be easier to blend in if no one could see the scars and scabbed over injuries.

They arrived at the school and once again everyone patiently waited for Vegeta to be the first one off. He ignored the stares as he hopped down the steps and took his seat, wheeling himself towards the building until Tarble called after him.

"Aniki, wait!" He tried to get the other's attention and was surprised to see the teen had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Gure eventually hopped off as well and the two went dashing after the oldest.

"Time for class! This way!" Tarble announced, walking with swagger in his step.

The classroom was rather large with about thirty little desks and one larger table in the middle of the floor. The older Saiyan assumed that's where he and Tarble would be sitting considering it wasn't possible for them to fit at the itty-bitty desks. They were the only three in the room, the rest of the students where outside on the playground. He was just here to get an introduction to the classroom and catch up on a few assignments.

"I've been told that your math score was higher than what you've been placed into, and your reading comprehension score was lower. It shouldn't be too much of an issue though, so long as you keep up with your homework." The teacher stated, dropping packet after packet of work onto his lap as she spoke. "I expect one of these to be completed everyday until they are all finished. By that time you'll be caught up on historical events and literature.

The teenager gaped at the papers stacked higher than his belly button. As far as he was aware, this was essentially an elementary school. What elementary school kid was given this much busy work?

"That expression is entirely unbecoming of a young scholar." She remarked with a disapproving stare. He raised an eyebrow, knowing that even if he'd lost his memories, there was no chance in hell he would ever be described as scholarly.

"Oh, trust me, young man. I know whatever race it is you and Tarble belong to is undoubtedly suited for combat rather than studies. However, it is my duty to draw out the academic intellectual within and train him to his highest capability." She announced, earning a strange look from the older Saiyan as he wondered if she could read minds.

Just then, a bell rang loudly in their ears, causing the teenager to jump a bit.

"Aniki, come on! School is starting!" Tarble stated excitedly, taking a seat at the table. Vegeta remained silent, understanding the bell was just an indication of time, as annoying and piercing as it was. He wheeled himself over to the table and tried to ignore the other's excitement as they waited for the rest of the class to come in.

When everyone was seated but still chatting with one another, Ms. Marmalade cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention.

"As you all may have guessed, we have a new student joining us today. Why don't you introduce yourself?" She asked pleasantly. The teenager wondered if he was being offered the opportunity to speak in front of the class since he was new, or since not even he knew what his name was.

"Yo." Was all he said, saluting with two if his fingers. He wondered how bad of an idea it was to piss off the teacher but figured it would be much more fun to find out. It didn't seem like an arduous task either, one word and she was already giving him the evil eye.

"Your name, shounen-kun." She stated evenly, her tone causing a small smile to creep into the corner of Vegeta's lips.

"You got it." He replied, folding his arms. Tarble balked at the complete lack of respect and attempted to step between the two before something irreparable happened.

"H-He doesn't remember, ma'am. When he landed, there were a lot of things my brother couldn't remember. He's still trying to work out all the details of who he is." He interjected, trying to quell the tension between the two. The older saiyan's smile disappear, unhappy that his fun was spoiled. Of course, it didn't excuse his bad attitude and the teacher filed that information away for another time.

"Understandable. But if that's the case, what should we call you?" She asked, trying her best to stay civil. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Shou." He replied, not caring in the least bit what any of these creatures called him. Of course, if any of them tried calling him Aniki other than Tarble, there would be pain.

Ms. Marmalade nodded, accepting the answer. "Very well, Shou. Would you please read off the topic of the day?" She requested, pointing at the white board. He rolled his eyes but complied.

"Literary analysis." He stated monotonously.

"Correct. And since you are new to this class and haven't caught up in the reading, you are welcome to listen and take plenty of notes." She said, her tone insisting that he take out his notebook and a pen. Everyone else took out their novels and he couldn't help raising an eyebrow in disbelief as they each pulled out a ridiculously thick piece of literature.

_Oh, fuck me._

"Tarble, why don't you start us off." Ms. Marmalade stated. Tarble stood.

"Chapter eighty-three was a symbolic representation on Chef Cholmondeley's regrets in life. There was a lot of focus on preparations of Lord Eastaughffe's sandwich, which suggests he was also thinking deeply on his own life and his regrets for never pursuing a career in film."

Vegeta stared at the other as if he'd grown a third eye. Film school? Sandwich? What kind of book was this and why did he get the feeling it was boring as hell?

Ms. Marmalade nodded and indicated Gure to continue. Tarble sat and the girl stood.

"Chef Cholmondeley put a lot of focus on spreading the condiments just right, taking care to make the right angles and swoops which is a reflection on his past failures to find love. He'd always been a rough and unforgiving man, and now he was reflecting on it forlornly as he was to spend the rest of his time in indentured servitude. How he places the cheese next instead of the thinly sliced meat is another reminder how he'd been caught laundering money for his last company, and how he wished he'd followed his mother's advice to major in psychology in college."

Ms. Marmalade nodded again and Vegeta couldn't decide if he wanted to laugh or fall asleep. She called on a few other students to finish the analysis and just as the older Saiyan was about to use his notebook as a pillow, he was called on.

"Now, it should be interesting to hear an outsider's perspective on this classic novel. Shou, what are your thoughts?"

The teenager yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Shounds like some dude made a sandwich and another ate it."

~0~

Vegeta scowled angrily from the edge of the gymnasium, unhappy with the fact that the one thing he'd probably enjoy in this dump of a school was out of his scope of participation due to his injuries. He sat in his chair with another godforsaken packet of paper which was meant to serve as a replacement for physical education. He watched all the little round-headed alien children attempt to play with oddly shaped objects in several ways. Some dribbled balls, some kicked them. Some batted little round things with feathers on the end, some threw a disk to one another.

He remained scowling and angry as Tarble ran up to him, out of breath.

"Aniki, what's the matter? You don't look very happy." He said, sitting on the bench beside the older boy. The teenager rolled his eyes contemptuously.

"No, I'm _ecstatic_ to sit here and work another goddamn packet." He replied sarcastically, tempted to smack the other on the back of his head. Tarble frowned.

"I'm sorry, Aniki. I didn't know they were going to bench you." He stated empathetically. Just then, a ball came rolling over and bounced into the older boy's chair, spinning a bit as it came to a stop in front of him. Vegeta uncrossed his arms and bent down to retrieve it.

"Shou, over here!" Little voices called out from happy faces, indicating for him to toss the ball to them. He glanced from the rubber ball to the other children and back. Vegeta tested the firmness with a squeeze of his hands, then gave an evil smile before throwing it as hard as he could. It collided perfectly with a small child's stomach and knocked all the air from his lungs as he collapsed backwards in a daze.

"Aniki!" Tarble hissed at him, earning a shrug.

"Whoops."

He wanted to give the older boy a lecture but decided against it. He figured the day wasn't even half over and it was too soon for his aniki to quit being a jerk. He stood and jogged off, running to grab the first aid kit from the boys' locker room and trying to prepare an explanation to keep the older Saiyan from being expelled on his first day.

There was a small gathering around the little alien until he sat up, holding his head. The children all asked if he was okay and he nodded tentatively, then turned to face the one who hit him.

"Wow, you're really strong!" The little boy called out, standing up and dusting himself off. That wasn't the response the Saiyan had expected, and he smirked haughtily at the compliment. "What else can you do?"

Tarble jogged back and was shocked, and a little worried, to hear shouts going on behind the closed door of the gym. What in the world was going on now? ! He hurried to push open the door and staggered in, but was caught by surprise with what he saw. Out of his chair, Vegeta was in plank position on the gym floor with his cast leg crossed over his other leg. The children were circled around him while three were sitting on his back, all of them cheering and counting as he did push-ups.

"Thirty-three! Thirty-four! Thirty-five!" They continued and Tarble gaped at the scene. This couldn't be possible, where was the teacher? ? He looked around and his jaw dropped when he realized the gym teacher was cheering alongside the boys and girls.

"Tarble, your brother is so strong!" Gure called out, running up to him. "I think he's stronger than you!"

Tarble's eye twitched at those words.

~0~

Vegeta stared at the wind instrument in his hand, then around the classroom as each student did their best to move their fingers to the correct holes to make the right notes. Tarble was attempting to explain the mechanics behind using the musical instrument, but the noise was causing the older Saiyan to get a massive headache. Without thinking over the repercussions, he chucked the instrument as hard and he could, causing it to penetrate the wall across from him like an arrow from a bow. The entire room went silent.

"Oh? And I suppose young shounen-kun over here has a song he'd rather hear?" The music teacher asked tersely, already having heard of the older boy's terrible temper. Vegeta tapped a finger against his chin, suddenly remembering something.

"There once was a voyeur named Brock, who kept his boat at the dock. The townspeople were aghast, to see him stiff as a mast, peering through a porthole beating his…"

"Aniki!"

The entire class erupted in laughter as the older Saiyan held a glaring contest with the music instructor.

~0~

Tarble collapsed into his cafeteria seat with a sigh, reaching into his backpack to pull out his lunch. The other Saiyan rolled up next to him, following suit.

"You know, you don't have to get into a fight with every single teacher today." Tarble stated, more exhausted than he thought he was going to be. The older boy scoffed and ripped open the paper bag for his lunch.

"That gym teacher seemed to tolerate me." He observed, his mouth full of food. Tarble sighed even heavier.

Gure eventually joined them with her tray of food and the two friends talked while the older Saiyan kept to himself, wondering when this day would finally be over. If tomorrow was going to be as tedious as today, he didn't think he was going to be able to get through it without strangling somebody. When he finished his meal, he was still hungry and speculated if it was possible to get food elsewhere. However, instead he found himself being dragged outside by the younger Saiyan towards an odd contraption of metal and plastic.

"This is our playground! Gure and I have a lot of fun pretending it's a pirate ship, or space ship, or city surrounded by lava!"

The teenager stared at the black tarmac, attempting to see what the other was imagining.

"Why?" He asked, deadpan. Tarble was about to counter with something when he stopped and thought it over.

"I dunno. It's just fun, I guess." He replied, then ran off to climb onto the structure. The older boy watched a moment, knowing Tarble couldn't keep a secret to save his life and figured if he just didn't stand on his broken leg, he couldn't get in trouble with the family matriarch. He climbed onto his good leg and hopped over, then jumped to catch a set of concurrent bars that led to the opening of a platform. He then bounded up the stairs to stand beside the younger boy.

"Wow, aniki. You're getting really good at moving around on one leg." He observed, glancing down to see a bunch of other children staring. The older boy certainly was strong and fast, even more so than Tarble. It was something he wasn't used to, having always been the largest in his grade.

"Let's play tag!" Gure called from the ground with a big smile. Tarble almost wanted to say yes, but then didn't want to exclude the other Saiyan. Afterall, he had a broken leg and used a wheelchair. It wasn't very fair to him.

"What is… tag." The teenager asked. Tarble blinked.

"Well, um, it's a bunch of people running around, and one person is 'it'. The person who's 'it' has to chase all of the other people around and try to tap them on the shoulder. Once someone else is tapped, the person who tapped them says 'you're it', and then that person has to chase everyone around." He explained, earning a strange look from the older boy. "Aniki, I know you're having memory problems, but surely you've played tag." He said with a chuckle. Vegeta thought long and hard but eventually gave up and shook his head.

"I remember training and blowing up robots." He said with a bland expression. Tarble blinked, mystified.

"Blowing up robots? How?" He asked, not sure the other had remembered something correctly.

"Like this."

Tarble was hardly given a moment to prepare himself for what he was going to see when the older Saiyan held up his arm, pointing his palm to the sky and causing a beam of light to shoot out. A moment then passed before an explosion lit up the sky, causing the wind to swirl about violently. Children screamed and ran for cover while Tarble stared at him in horror.

"What in the! How did you!"

"So, are we going to play this… tag game?" The teenager asked, a glimmer of something that could be described as delight in his eye. Tarble stared at him like he was crazy, then glanced out to his friends.

"W-who wants to play tag?" He asked sheepishly. They all glanced between each other and then nodded slowly, almost forgetting the fact that their new classmate had just blown up the sky. Vegeta hopped down the playground set and seated himself back in his chair.

"So, who is the 'it'?" The older boy asked, wheeling himself back onto the concrete. Tarble climbed down from the landing and walked over to the small group of kids.

"Um, I guess I can be." He offered with a little grin. The other children called out in delight and began running away, shouting "Tarble's it! Run as fast as you can!" Tarble glanced around with a playful smile that melted into a frown of confusion when he saw his aniki wheeling himself away at an impossible speed. His jaw dropped at the sight.

"C'mon, Tarble! What are you waiting for!" Gure called out, giggling. He shook his head, attempting to ignore how weird the other boy was and decided to run after his friends.

Vegeta watched as the children all ran around laughing, his expression grumpy and unimpressed. When he realized it was a game of chase, he thought it'd be a challenge to stay away. But it turned out everyone was hesitant to include him and he figured it was because of this damn chair and his bum leg. He glowered bitterly, watching as one little boy struggled to run after the other faster children. The little boy was beginning to get upset, it was obvious, yet no one would slow down for him. He eventually stopped and fell to his knees, sniffing pathetically as his eyes teared up. He didn't want to cry, but he was just so frustrated!

Just then, something cast a shadow over him and he glanced up to find Tarble's older brother extending a hand to him. The little boy took it hesitantly, climbing back to his feet. He then looked up to find the other boy giving him a devilish smile, his evil grin carving into his cheeks.

"Guess that means I'm the 'it'."

Tarble looked onto the scene with a warm heart, happy to see the other had a soft side. He figured he could be 'it' next and decided if his brother came after him that he'd go slow so he could get caught and the game could continue in good fun.

That is, until he saw the other spin around in one motion with a face like the devil's. Tarble yelped audibly, frozen with fear until he saw the other was wheeling straight for him with clouds of dust rising in his wake. Tarble screamed and bolted in the opposite direction, having never had to run so fast in his life in a game of tag. He sprinted at his top speed, only glancing over his shoulder once to see his aniki gaining on him with a murderous gleam in his eye. He was sure if he slowed down for even a second, the older Saiyan wouldn't hesitate to run him over, and so he ran with fear for his life.

All the other children watched the scene with their mouths hanging open, impressed both with how fast Tarble could run, and also with how fast the older boy could chase after him in a wheelchair. Gure could've sworn she heard the younger of the two screaming something, maybe pleading with his older brother to slow down, but it was too late. When he'd finally closed the distance, Vegeta smacked his shoulder so hard he was thrown off balance and sent careening into the ground. He eventually summersaulted to a stop and half the children had their eyes shut tight while the other half couldn't look away from the wreck.

The bell signifying the end of lunch rang, shocking everyone back to reality as they all ran to get back to class.

~0~

Tarble groaned, feeling sore all over and still shaking dust out of his hair.

"That game was fun, we should play again." His aniki said with an evil chuckle. Tarble ignored him and focused on his classwork instead. They were learning fractions, decimals, and dividing. It was enough to make his head feel like it was going to explode, yet he couldn't help feeling a bit of relief knowing he was no longer the only student struggling in math class. He figured he could help his aniki with some of it, if he was stuck on anything.

"Shou! What do you think you're doing lollygagging around!" Ms. Marmalade scolded, standing next to the teen with her hands on her hips and her expression sour. Vegeta was curling his upper lip to hold a pencil against his nose and didn't bother to acknowledge her other than thrusting his classwork in her face.

"You think you can just write whatever you want, and I'll give you a passing grade? Hah!" She exclaimed, looking down at the paper to see what he'd written.

"Aniki, there's no reason to lie! I'll help you out!" Tarble whispered, wondering why the other had to be such a pain in the butt.

"Oh…" Ms. Marmalade said thoughtfully. Tarble braced himself for the tongue lashing but was greatly surprised it never happened. "Oh, why, these are all correct." She stated incredulously, turning the page to find more correct answers. "How in the world…"

"Lady, you know I'm from space, right?" The teenager asked boredly, inspecting his fingernails with the pencil still held between his upper lip and nose. "Can't fly space ships without math."

The whole class stared at him, somehow forgetting that.

~0~

Gure hummed a happy tune as she sculpted a lump of clay. Art had to be her favorite subject other than advanced quantum physics, but for that she had to be at home chewing away through her father's library. School was a bit of a place holder for her, just there to fill the gaps in her knowledge and eventually give her fancy degrees at accredited colleges. She also appreciated the socializing aspect and getting to spend time with her friends.

"Aniki, what the heck are you trying to make?" Tarble asked with a laugh. She glanced up and had to suppress a giggle of her own when she saw the older boy's attempt at molding something in clay. He looked up to see Tarble had made some kind of goblet, then glanced over to find Gure sculpting a masterpiece of art. He then looked at his pile of mud and glared.

"Shut up." He muttered, smashing his atrocity back into the table.

"Tarble! That's not very nice!" Gure said, shaming him. He did a double take.

"What! Me? I'm the one who's not nice?" He asked incredulously.

"Shou is just trying his best! Leave him alone!" She scolded. Tarble was so flabbergasted he forgot every word in his vocabulary and gaped like a fish.

"Yeah, Tarble. Listen to your girlfriend." The older Saiyan said with a malicious smile, reaching out and smashing the other boy's work.

"Hey, you jerk!"

"T-Tarble's not my!"

Gure and Tarble glanced at each other, suddenly turning very red. Vegeta took the opportunity to steal the younger boy's clay and began mashing it with his.

"A-Aniki, we're just friends, ok!" He announced, trying to take back his clay only to have his hand swatted.

"Yeah, whatever." He muttered, rolling out a long log of clay. He then picked up the log and smashed one of the small ends into the table, having it protruding from the table like a pillar.

"What ugly thing are you making now?" Tarble asked, resigned to the fact that he wasn't getting his clay back.

"You'll see."

Vegeta tore the remainder of his clay in half, rolling the mound into a lumpy ball and smushing it in next to the pillar. He then rolled the other mound into another lumpy ball and placed that one next to the first ball and the pillar.

When Tarble realized what it was, he went sheet white.

"Aniki! What are you thinking!" He exclaimed, attempting to reach over and destroy the offending sculpture.

"What is it? I don't get it." Gure said, causing Tarble's cheeks to flush beat red again as he was held back from destroying the older Saiyan's work.

"You're right, it needs hair and that little bit of skin at the top…"

"ANIKI…!"

Suddenly, the two boys stopped struggling when they realized somebody was standing behind them. They turned to find the art teacher glaring daggers at them and Tarble felt like he was going to cry.

"The principal's office! The both of you!"

~0~

Tarble sniffled pathetically while Vegeta reclined in the seat outside the principal's office, his hands behind his head.

"Aniki, I have a perfect record. I've never been in trouble once! How could you do this to me?" He asked, pain in his voice as he lamented his lost future. What if he never got into college? What if he never even got into high school? ? He'd be a hermit on the streets! Doomed to be the town's laughing stock!

The older Saiyan reached over and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Stop being such a baby." He muttered, exhaling heavily as he reclined back and closed his eyes.

"How are you so calm? ? We are dead! So dead! When mom finds out… Oh god…" Tarble went silent, suddenly realizing he still had his mother to deal with. He swallowed hard.

"You're such a wimp. This is why I'd never take you with me once I get off this stupid planet." Vegeta snapped, resigning himself to ignore the other boy. Tarble went silent, realizing he had a point. He tried to say something back, but came up with nothing. If that was the case, he'd spend the rest of his life here. He'd have a home with family and friends, people he'd grown up with. Out there he'd have nothing but his aniki. Even if he did find his people, would he fit in? Aniki was so strong and fast, the complete opposite of Tarble. And out there was Frieza, the evil overlord that killed everyone just because he could. It was scary and treacherous out there in the unknown, why would he ever want to leave?

Tarble sat and moped, wondering if he was just being ridiculous trying to identify with his assumed brother. That wasn't his life, he wasn't a warrior. He should just give up and cut his losses. At least here he had a future, maybe someday he'd invent something that would take him across the galaxy on his own adventure of space exploration.

The door suddenly opened and Tarble glanced up to find the principal with a solemn expression. He beckoned the two inside and they both oblige, shutting the door behind them.


	14. Flight

_"This is to be taken home and signed by your parents. Bring both forms to my office tomorrow, and I hope to never see such unruly behavior from either of you again, understand?"_

Tarble sighed, walking as slow as possible back home after having finished quite a stern lecture with the principal. His aniki really had gotten him into a lot of trouble just on his first day, and it would have been impressive, other than the fact that he'd somehow been roped into the blame. How was he ever going to be able to keep the older boy in check? The guy was hotheaded, disrespectful, and seemed to never listen to anything anyone ever told him, unless there was a threat of pain or loss of food involved.

Right on cue, the older Saiyan came zipping by on his new hover chair. They'd stopped by the robotics classroom on their way home to pick it up and he was definitely taking too many liberties with it.

"Aniki! Slow down!" He called out, but his warning was ignored and he groaned loudly. "You're impossible!"

He knew the other boy heard him and chose to continue being petulant, because it seemed every time Tarble said something he thought was quiet enough, his aniki heard him. The guy had crazy good auditory senses and yet always pretended to not hear anything he didn't find favorable.

"How can you be this… this…!" He was lost for words, tears of frustration beading up in the corner of his eyes.

"This… what?" The older Saiyan called after him, rolling his eyes.

"This pig-headed!" Tarble shouted after him, stopping in his tracks.

"Scathing!" Vegeta replied, cackling with laughter. He zoomed back over to the younger boy, stopping on a dime before he could crash into him. "I don't know why you seem to think you saved my life, because you didn't. No one on this tiny, boring planet has. I may have memory loss, but I know for certain a lousy broken leg and couple of bumps will never be enough to incapacitate me." He said in a warning tone. Tarble felt a few tears trickle down his cheeks. "We may be related, or some shit, but that holds no loyalty. Remember that the next time you want to let your stupid emotions control you."

Tarble gaped, not expecting such cruel words and never having heard anything so heartless before. His eyes and nose burned as he choked back a sob, then ran the opposite way into a tree line where he knew a little walking trail was.

Vegeta scoffed at the display, unable to believe how thin-skinned this kid was. He couldn't help feeling guilty though, something about seeing the younger burst into tears like that made him regret his words, but that feeling of regret had to battle it out with his stuck-up pride.

_"Father, he's getting better, he's getting stronger! You have to come and see him, I'm sure within the year he'll be training…"_

_"I thought I told you to stay away! You deliberately disobey me? If I wanted to cure that infant of his weakness, I'd seek out professional council, not my disobedient son!"_

_"Father, I'm sorry, it's just…"_

_"Apologizing is a sign of weakness, remember that! And if you can't leave it then perhaps it would be better to send that feeble creature away along with the rest of the low-class wretches!"_

Vegeta had to reel himself in from his sudden memory when he thought he was going to vomit. A tall man with the same hairstyle plus a goatee.

But what was he wearing…?

It didn't matter. He knew right away the man was his father. A mix of admiration and hatred churned his stomach and he spit a bit of bile that had collected in his mouth.

Father had sent Tarble away.

And not for his own safety.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath, toggling the joystick on the armrest to propel himself forward in order to chase after his little brother.

~0~

Tarble kicked a rock aimlessly and sniffled, leisurely walking along the path and trying to forget about this crumby day. He'd looked forward to it for so long, showing off his brother and introducing everyone. However, the real situation had been less than ideal. The older boy intimidated half the students, and the other half seemed to find him much more interesting than Tarble had intended. It was hard to accept that the only thing his brother wasn't good at was History, and that was only because he'd been on this planet about three weeks. He was faster, stronger…

More mature looking…

Tarble groaned. How could he be jealous of someone that was such a jerk? He was never nice, he was always in a bad mood, it's no wonder his mom was so keen on strangling him. He wondered how they could turn out so differently. Was it because of how they grew up? He didn't know much about his aniki's past, but he knew it wasn't cushy and filled with positive stimuli like his own. But could they really be so opposite?

Tarble hopped onto a set of train tracks that ran parallel to this part of the path, balancing on one of the metal rails. Up ahead was a bridge meant only for the cargo trains to use, but he couldn't help loving the thrill of walking out onto it. He'd never gotten in the way of a train, and the closest he'd come was when he was already walking off the tracks after he'd heard a train horn in the distance. He held his hands out for balance and took a deep breath, then stepped out onto the bridge. There were no rails and no safety nets beneath, just a plummet to certain death between slats of wood. It was almost surprising to think about until he remembered how stringent this species was with their rules. If there was a rule, you didn't break it. Just like there was a sign at the start of the bridge, 'Keep Off, No Trespassing', any single person on this planet would obey the sign. Oftentimes he was surprised with how freethinking he could be, but now that he'd met his flesh and blood brother, he knew it was engrained in his DNA.

He took a few cautious steps out, then when he knew he had a rhythm, he walked on more confidently. He looked down and felt a leap of thrill in his gut, staring at the ravine below. It all looked so small beneath him, but he knew it was close to being a hundred foot drop. Just one wrong step and…

"Oi!"

Tarble started, nearly losing his balance as he flailed about.

"Aniki! What the!"

He carefully turned, his eyes wide after he'd seen his life flash before him.

"I could have fallen and died! Don't just shout at someone when they aren't standing somewhere safe!" He shouted back, suddenly remembering his frustration and anger rather than the calm he'd been searching for.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The teen comment flippantly. He drove onto the tracks and started heading for the other boy. "I came here to apologize…"

"Aniki, wait! Don't come any close or you'll… wait, what?" Tarble blinked, surprised and wondering if his ears were deceiving him. He shook himself from the shock though and held up his hands as an indication to come no further. "No, seriously! The electronics in that chair go crazy when the track is on! You could get thrown off!"

Vegeta stopped, about halfway from the start and where Tarble was standing. He looked down and considered the metal rails a moment, then continued forward.

"Aniki! Seriously! Don't come…!"

In the far distance, Tarble could hear the faint sound of a train's whistle and he froze in terror.

"We have to go!" He called out, beginning to walk back at a faster pace than he was comfortable with. Whatever it would take to get the other boy off this bridge.

"Would you listen for one damn second? I try to come out here to say I'm sorry and you start rushing me off." The older Saiyan complained, not liking how the other boy was wobbling dangerously. Just then, Tarble flailed out, yelping with surprise and Vegeta was sure he was about to fall off the track. He lurched forward in the nick of time to catch the other boy, steadying him.

"Aniki, get out of here! Before the tracks turn on!"

But it was too late. Tarble watched in horror as the electricity from the tracks arced beneath the hover chair and blew his brother sky-high. He also went tumbling back from the force of the impact, somehow managing to grab hold of a railroad tie before he was sent falling to his death.

"Aniki!" He yelled desperately, searching frantically for the falling wreckage. He found the chair tumbling down the rock ledges and was hesitant to look closely for what remained of his brother.

However, out of the corner of his eye he saw something out of place and glanced up to find a curious surprise. Vegeta stared at him with the same confused expression, just floating in the sky.

"A-Aniki?" Tarble asked, wondering if he was hallucinating.

Or maybe their species turned into ghosts when they died?

"That was pretty fucking cool." The teenager said with a crooked smile on his lips. Tarble balked.

"Aniki! Y-You're floating! How!" He called out, carefully lugging himself back up on top of the track.

"Dunno, guess I always could. Just forgot." He offered, floating over to the younger boy and sticking out his hand. Tarble stared at the offered help, then hesitantly took hold and cried out when he was yanked into his brother's arms. He instinctively tightened his grip over the other's shoulders, his legs wrapped around the teen's waist as he buried his head into the crook of Vegeta's neck. Slowly he glanced up, half expecting to be inches from splattering all over the gorge below and was pleasantly surprised to find himself floating next to the bridge.

"Holy cow." He whispered in disbelief. "This is incredible!"

The older Saiyan gently flew higher into the sky, looking down on the trees below and out along the horizon to the houses at the edge of the little forest. Tarble gasped at the sight, wondering offhandedly if he was dreaming.

"I remembered something." Vegeta broke the silence, his voice close to a whisper.

"Yeah, what did you remember?" Tarble asked, seeming to forget that he was mad at the older boy. He felt the grip the teen had on him tighten and was speechless when the older boy leaned his head to rest on his shoulder.

"Father sent you away." He said quietly, not offering to elaborate. Tarble inhaled a sharp breath, unsure whether he wanted more details or not. His brother didn't seem happy to relive the memory, it couldn't be good news.

"Father did? What happened?" He asked, worry in his voice. It took the other a moment to reply and he shifted his grasp on his younger brother, leaving one arm to support him from beneath as his other hand combed into the younger's hair, holding him in a close embrace.

"You were born too weak." Vegeta replied, his voice cracking once. "He couldn't even go to see you, and he told me to stay away."

Tarble's breath caught in his throat, numbed from the shock of what he'd been told.

"It's my fault you're here, I thought I was helping when I went to your nursery all those times to play with you and make you stronger." He continued, blinking a single tear from his eye and sniffing loudly. He held onto the other boy just a little tighter. "But father saw it as a distraction to me and sent you away. I'm so sorry." He nuzzled into Tarble's hair, unwilling to put blame on the younger if he decided to not forgive him.

"But… But how could he…" Tarble dissolved into sobs, tears rolling down his face at the news. "I was a baby! Babies are small and fragile! How could he…" He also gripped his brother tighter and buried his face in his shoulder, weeping loudly. Vegeta ran his fingers through his hair, letting him get it all out. "My own father… cast me out… for being an infant? ?" He asked, anger in his voice. "W-Why? Was I really such a disappointment…" Tarble was cut off when Vegeta nudged his head from his shoulder, pressing their foreheads and noses together as he looked into his eyes.

"No, you're not a disappointment." He said definitively. He just received a confused look in return. "No matter what, you're still my brother. I'll never let anything bad happen to you, understand?" He stated as a fact, waiting for an answer. Tarble gave a small nod, whimpering lightly. The teenager pulled him in for another tight hug before descending for the tracks.

~0~

A/N: i wanted this to be longer, but eh... it'll eventually all come in the next few chapters. for now, fluff

review!


	15. Finding Prince Vegeta

Tarble opened the front door of his house and both boys slumped inside. The day had been truly exhausting and neither one wanted anything to do with it anymore.

"Where in the world have you two been? ? Do you have any idea what time it is? !" Tarble's mom scolded them, ready to have the biggest lecture of her life.

"Sorry, mom." They both replied in unison, ignoring her otherwise. The younger tromped up the stairs as if he hadn't slept in days while the other floated after him, his shoulders also slumped dejectedly. The family matriarch was lost for words as they both disappeared into their rooms as if they were punishing themselves without her needing to.

"Wait a minute, was he flying? ?"

~0~

In an effort to not speak to anyone for the rest of the night, Vegeta had hidden himself on the roof, having accessed it from his window. There was just always so much going on in this house and he'd had about enough of it. It was nice to sit in silence alone as the sun was setting before him.

Just then, a ladder was clumsily leaned against the siding of the house before a familiar boy peered over the top.

"Aniki? Are you okay?" Tarble asked, not sure what kind of answer to expect. Of course the older boy wasn't okay, he was going through a rough transition of getting his memories back. Tarble could only imagine the things he'd never wanted to think of again.

The teenager glared bitterly at the skyline, lamenting his lost moment of peace.

Tarble waited a long, uncomfortable moment before climbing the rest of the way up the ladder. He had to hold his hands out for balance as he nearly tumbled back to the ground but steadied himself and approached his brother. The younger Saiyan sat down a reasonable distance away, then thought better of it and scooched closer.

The older boy continued to glare, unamused.

"Y'know, I always loved watching the sun set from my window. I never thought to climb out onto the roof, though." He mused, his tail swishing back and forth absentmindedly. Vegeta watched it from the corner of his eye, then glanced down at his own which was securely wrapped around his waist. Slowly he unfurled it, letting it settle behind himself, relaxed.

"Do you think mom and dad are out there watching us?" Tarble suddenly asked, his voice carefree. His older brother was taken aback by the question, not having considered it before. He held up his hands to inspect them, noting the scars from the chemical burns had nearly healed. There were calluses on his hands that were beginning to peel from their lack of use, and his knuckles were much more bulbous and oddly shaped than his brother's.

He had a feeling in the back of his mind that their parents might not be watching them in the way Tarble was imagining.

Tarble reached out and took hold of his brother's hand, bringing it closer to inspect it. He flipped it over, examining his palm and tracing his fingers over the creases and dips.

"Aniki? If you left, would you really not take me with you?" Tarble asked softly. He knew it was risky to live out in space, but he also knew he didn't belong on this planet. He may have grown up here, but it wasn't his home. These weren't his people.

The older Saiyan was silent. As much as he wanted to take the younger everywhere, out there in a galaxy controlled by Frieza, it wasn't a place for his brother. This was perhaps the safest place to leave him. Somewhere he could grow up to be a scholar, or some shit. Here he had a chance to make a difference with his mind rather than scrape and claw at an existence.

Tarble eventually concluded his examination and settled with grasping the other's hand in his. He allowed it, debating whether he should let go or not and decided that he didn't really care so long as Tarble was happy.

"How come there's no moon in the sky?" The older boy asked, breaking the silence. Tarble gave him a funny look.

"A moon?" He asked, unsure what the other was referring to.

"Yeah, the big round thing in the sky that comes out at night?"

"Oh! You mean a naturally occurring satellite?" He asked, the older boy nodded. "We don't have one on this planet. I've read about them though, they seem neat. It'd be really cool to have one, but then it would also be harder to see the stars."

The younger as right, there were indeed a lot of stars in the sky when it was dark out. The light pollution from the city hid about half of them, but still the night was practically lit up just the same.

Suddenly, a small flying object caught both the boys' attention and they tracked its unusually flying pattern through the sky.

"What is that?" Tarble asked, not expecting an answer. They watched a moment longer until Vegeta realized something.

"It's coming straight for us."

Tarble glanced from the flying thing to his brother then back and shrieked. The thing was significantly closer than he'd anticipated, on a collision course for the two boys. And…

Was it screaming?

Tarble ducked instinctively, curling into the fetal position when it was about to crash into them. Vegeta, on the other hand, stood and skillfully grabbed hold of the thing, successfully capturing it in his grasp and spinning in circles as he used his flying powers to slow it down. When he realized who it was, he blinked with surprise written all over his face.

"Oh, Shounen-kun! Thank you so much, I thought I was going to crash and die!"

Tarble snapped out of his cowering position at the sound of that voice and sprang to his feet.

"Gure? ! How in the…! What in the…!" He stammered, shocked to find her sitting on a little surfboard-looking thing. The older Saiyan released the strange vehicle and it remained floating in the air alongside him.

"I thought I saw you two sitting on the roof, and I wanted to come over and say hi, but then this thing went out of control and I couldn't slow it down!" She explained with a giggle. "I've been experimenting with antigravity in my dad's lab and I'm just trying to get the controls right for my new spaceship."

Both boys' jaws dropped in surprise.

"A spaceship? ? You built a spaceship? !" Tarble asked incredulously.

"Yeah! The controls are pretty wonky, and I'm still downloading all the galactic database's information on astronomical objects, but I should be done by the morning!"

Vegeta and Tarble blinked, their silent stares making her a bit uncomfortable.

"So, my ship should be done in a few hours and we might be able to travel through space and get Shounen-kun his memories back!"

Tarble and Gure jumped up, almost forgetting they were standing on a roof in their excitement. Vegeta, however, stared skeptically.

_'We?'_

~0~

Oritz stumbled as he was force down the corridor by Frieza's guards, his legs feeling like jelly and his hands dripping with sweat in his gloves. How had this gone so horribly? When had he become so careless? And, more importantly, when had he lost so much face with the senior officers in Frieza's ranks?

Probably when Planet Vegeta was blown up and his usefulness had then run its course. Oritz shook his head, it wasn't any use to think like that now.

The soldiers stood with him outside a door, waiting for it to open and revealing Frieza himself sitting in his chair with his fingers steepled.

"Good afternoon, Oritz. It's been so long since we've been able to talk in person like this."

Oritz swallowed heavily as he was pushed inside to stand directly before the overlord. The last time they'd met like this, he'd been captured from a mission and given the choice to be a mole in the Saiyan military or die as an honorable man.

He hadn't needed to think twice about that offer at the time. Now, however, he was beginning to wonder if he should've just gotten it over with. Maybe the Saiyans would have dismantled the Frieza Force, maybe King Vegeta would still be alive, maybe all these lives and all these planets wouldn't have been lost in the name of the tyrant's conquest.

"Apologies for having you brought down here so quickly, but I have a little problem with that report you turned into Zarbon."

Oritz whimpered pathetically. Here we go, all his dirty laundry would be out for the universe to gawk at.

"You see, when our young Prince Vegeta was sent to that wretched planet to eradicate those giants and beasts, he'd also been given another mission. He was to collect this little item called a Dragon Stone and bring it to me." Frieza explained, his expression emotionless other than the lethal undertone.

"I've been told that in this galaxy, there exists seven of these Dragon Stones, and when brought together they have the power to grant any wish you could think of." He continued. "And, as far as I was told, our young Prince Vegeta had acquired one of these stones. And yet, in your report, you explain something quite troubling."

Oritz went white. He went so white he almost became see-through. His heart beat in his throat, his eyes were nearly popped from his skull, and the sweat on his hands had completely soaked through his gloves and was dripping to the floor.

"I-I-I-I can explain! Please, your grace!" Oritz dropped to his knees, sobbing. "I didn't mean it, I swear! I was just so angry, and then I was so scared…" More tears dripped down his nose. "I didn't mean to kill him! I swear it was a mistake! Forgive me, my lord!" He wailed pathetically, shaking hard. The scene carried on for a few more moments before Oritz realized the overlord was chuckling. He glanced up through his snot and tears, confusion on his face. Frieza gave him an evil smile then snapped his fingers. One of the guards opened a side door to reveal Nappa and Raditz, both standing with their arms crossed and icy glares.

"Good news for you, fat foolish Oritz. It seems these two have discovered Prince Vegeta could very well still be alive."

Oritz lit up at the idea that he wasn't going to be immediately killed just yet. He scrambled to his feet and raced over to the other two Saiyans, grabbing Nappa by his biceps.

"Is it true? Is he still alive?" He demanded, shaking the large man as best he could despite their difference in power levels. Nappa raised a hand and with one swift slap, he sent Oritz hurtling back to the ground.

"No thanks to you." He spit out, making a show of wiping his hand on his uniform. "We believe Vegeta may have changed coordinates before blacking out and went to another planet. We have a lead and intend to follow it ASAP." Nappa explained, then got down on one knee with his opposite fist propped on the ground. Raditz followed suit. "With your permission, Lord Frieza, we'll leave immediately."

Frieza chuckled. "Good, then make haste."

~0~

A/N: Dragon STONES not Dragon BALLS because i'm original (i swear i am, lmao)

fifteen chapters all at once? good golly... but this is everything i've already posted. all new chapters will be posted at a (reasonable) whim


	16. The Next Day

The next day Tarble sat rigid as a board on the school bus and fidgeted relentlessly. His brother, as dense as he could be, couldn’t even help noticing and did his best to ignore the other.

“Gure wasn’t at the bus stop, you don’t think she’s in trouble, do you?” He asked in an anxious tone, wringing his hands. The older Saiyan rolled his eyes.

“Why in hell would she be in trouble?” He countered, wanting to point out how simplistic these creatures could be. Crime statistics were nearly non-existent, and everyone was always so disgustingly friendly on the streets. It really put into perspective how crazy Tarble’s mom was, honestly.

“Well, she said she was working on that spaceship. What if she got hurt somehow?” He offered, fearing the worst.

“Don’t be stupid. And don’t get your hopes up. If these people haven’t traveled through space yet, why would they now?” He asked, attempting to be the voice of reason. An elementary schooler creating the first interplanetary vehicle? Highly unlikely. But it also wasn’t like he could go up to the governor and ask for his ship to be fixed up.

Of course, his ship was probably deconstructed and used for lab experiments. The thought made him angry, what right did they have to do anything with his space pod?  
“Shou-chan!” A little voice popped up from behind them, causing Tarble to turn while the older boy just paid the noise no mind.

“Shou-chan, we saw you flying! Can you fly?” The little boy asked. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

“Rasp, if you saw him flying, that means he was flying, right?” Tarble reasoned. The little boy thought it over long and hard, eventually agreeing with the other.

“Can you fly too, Tarble?” Rasp asked, his eyes glistening. Tarble’s eye twitched.

“No. I can’t.” He answered curtly. “Besides, no one’s been able to teach me.”

“Why hasn’t Shou-chan taught you?”

Tarble fought the urge to reach behind the seat and strangle the kid.

“He just hasn’t, ok?”

“Shou-chan! Can you teach me to fly?”

Tarble groaned, thankful they were almost at the school.

“Shou-chan is so strong, is he stronger than you, Tarble?”

Tarble’s eye twitched even harder. “Well, he is my older brother, so it only makes sense he’s stronger.”

“Yeah, but Shou-chan is so big! And you’re so small! You’re like a toothpick compared to him!”

Tarble snarled in anger as Rasp giggled at the thought of him being skinny as a reed. He sat down in his seat, going back to his original conversation with his seatmate. Tarble turned back as well, stewing in his anger. Of course his aniki would teach him to fly! He was just recovering from his injuries! Besides, they’d only just learned he could yesterday. It was only a matter of time before he’d teach Tarble.

Right?

~0~

Ms. Marmalade was calling out attendance and when Gure wasn’t present the entire class couldn’t help murmuring in surprise. Tarble felt a pit fall in his stomach. She’d never missed a day! He knew it (probably) wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty.

“Alright class, today we’re having a pop quiz on “A Paedocracy’s Rabelaisian Anencephaly Narrischkeitic Kyriolexy”. Please put away all supplies other than a pen or pencil.”

The class did as they were told except Vegeta who stared at the teacher like she’d grown a third eye. He turned to his brother and whispered.

“The hell did she just say?” He asked, his hand blocking the side of his mouth so Ms. Marmalade wouldn’t hear.

“A Paedocracy’s Rabelaisian Anencephaly Narrischkeitic Kyriolexy? Aniki, that’s the book we’ve been reading!” Tarble replied, whispering as well. He turned back to what he was doing, determined not to get in trouble today. The quiz papers were passed back one student at a time and as he read over the ten questions, the older Saiyan just became even more confused.

_In chapter eighty-four, if Lord Eastaughffe’s collection of imported marionette dolls is a symbol of his nobility status, why does he fear being the puppet master of Chef Cholmondeley?_

_In chapter 87, Chef Cholmondeley is seen lamenting his flattened souffle which is attested to his distaste for culinary school, list 5 other examples of literary ententres in the past ten chapters._

_Identify the purveying theme of chapter ninety-four. Who is Lady Myerscough? Why is she dressed all in blue?_

Vegeta’s head spun and when he looked up, he could see all the other children diligently answering the questions. He glanced over at Tarble, finding that if he was just a bit closer, he could read what the younger was writing. He gave a cautionary look at their teacher, finding her distracted by some papers she was grading and decided to go for it.

By the time he was on the seventh question, Tarble felt the sneaking suspicion someone was watching him. He shifted his gaze left and right, not finding anything out of the ordinary other than the fact that his brother was writing in depth explanations to each of the questions. As far as he was aware, the older boy hadn’t even bothered to so much as open the book he’d been given. He strained his eyes a little harder just to see what his brother was writing and, despite his atrocious penmanship, nearly shouted at him for his obvious plagiarism. 

Tarble took a deep breath to reel himself in and shot the other Saiyan a dirty look. When the older boy noticed it, he grinned mischievously and mouthed the word ‘thanks’. Tarble went pink in the face holding back his cry of anger and instead pulled his paper further away and hunched over to cover his answers. The teen glowered at the other’s lack of loyalty and slumped back in his seat. He tapped his pencil a few times attempting to get anyone’s attention but was ignored.

He stared at the paper, bored out of his mind and decided to try sounding out these words he’d never heard before.

_‘Pie… dough… craw… see…’_ , was that even right? Was it even a word? Who wrote this awful, mind-numbing book and why was it taught in school? He was genuinely surprised anyone in their right mind would find this book interesting. He moved onto the next word, sounding it out in his mind before he suddenly realized something. The observation caused him to raise an eyebrow in even greater confusion. He spent the rest of his time pondering the thought while everyone else finished their quiz.

“Alright, time is up!” Ms. Marmalade announced, causing everyone to scrawl down the ends of their sentences before putting their writing utensils down. “Pass your quizzes forward and we’ll move on.”

The children all did as they were told and Vegeta shrugged at Tarble when he handed his quiz in. Tarble gave him a dirty look and turned away, resolving to ignore his brother the rest of class.

“Now, why don’t we discuss the last chapter we read as a class. Does anyone want to volunteer?”

Tarble shot up from his seat and immediately began speaking while the older Saiyan just rolled his eyes.

“We saw the introduction of Lady Myerscough and were briefly given a backstory between her and Lord Eastaughffe, and while she is an obvious distraction from the Lord completing the basket he’d been attempting to weave underwater, it’s also implied that she is a symbol for the femininity he felt he could never express.”  
Ms. Marmalade nodded in approval before turning to her next student to continue.

“Shounen-kun, with how completely you were able to answer the questions on your quiz, I can only assume you’ve caught up in your reading. So, why don’t you expand on Tarble’s thoughts?”

Tarble snickered in delight. It was just so obvious his brother had cheated during that quiz! There’s no way he was going to get away with what he’d done, and Tarble wouldn’t have to suffer for the other’s poor ethics. He expected to see him with a bored or annoyed expression for being called on when it was obvious he wasn’t caught up in the reading, but was surprised when he saw him with… an inquisitive look? Maybe even bordering on impish?

“Ya know, teach? I couldn’t help noticing something on the only page I bothered to read.” He replied, looking all the more like a stereotypical delinquent by the second. The only things he was missing was the leather jacket, the cigarette in his teeth, and his hair styled in a pompadour. 

“Oh? And what’s that?” She asked, her expression souring with how unabashedly obnoxious this teenager was.

“The cover. That title, Pay-doe Rabble whatever, the first letter of each word spells ‘A Prank’, you ever thought maybe some crackpot wrote this as a joke to mess with the over analytical assholes of the universe?” He asked, stirring up a wave of murmurs from the class about what he said.

“Shou-kun’s right! It really does spell that!”

“You think it’s true?”

“That’s crazy! This is a classic! Even my grandparent’s grandparents were taught about this book in school!”

Tarble balked at the nerve his brother had. Like everyone else in the class, he’d never thought to read the title as an anagram before. He hesitantly glanced back at the teacher and shivered at the icy look she was giving the other Saiyan, wondering when he would ever catch a break.

“I’ll have you know this novel is a work of art. No thick-headed student of mine is going to boil down a two-thousand-page work of literary genius, written a millennia ago, to a simple prank! This book was written for the great creator Zeno-sama himself!” She exclaimed, working herself up.

“Yeah? Maybe this Zeno guy is more of a prankster than you’re making him seem.”

Tarble collapsed his head into his hands. _‘Oh, Aniki, why are you like this?’_

“GET OUT!”

~0~

Tarble slumped against the gymnasium wall with a groan, sliding to the floor. Now that his brother was out of his chair and floating around like a show-off, he was being included in the activities, much to the teacher’s delight.

And much to Tarble’s disdain. 

They’d just finished a game of dodgeball, proof of which were the giant red welts all over the younger Saiyan’s arms, legs, and torso.

“Come on, slacker. Teach says free time isn’t for laying around.”

Tarble could practically hear the devious smile in the other’s voice and he glared at the ceiling.

“I’m just catching my breath. After all, SOMEONE kept knocking me over with dodgeballs!” He retorted testily.

“Not my fault you can’t dodge.” The teen replied haughtily. 

“We were on the same team!” Tarble shouted back, now glaring at the other Saiyan.

“Hey, I couldn’t give us an unfair advantage. That wouldn’t be good sportsmanship.” 

Tarble shouted from his frustration, clasping his hands over his face.

“Shou-chan! Shou-chan!”

Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to find the little round-headed child he’d knocked over yesterday. The kid was surrounded by a few other children, all of them giving him shimmering, expectant stares.

“Shou-chan! Do more push-ups!” Another kid announced in a pleading tone. The others agreed with him and the teen couldn’t help the smirk on his lips. He found Tarble giving him another dirty look and just shrugged, landing on his uninjured leg and collapsing forward into plank position. The children all called out with joy and several of them climbed onto his back before he began doing push-ups.

“One, two, three…!” The started chanting. Tarble rolled his eyes.

“Shou-chan! Do one arm!” One of them called out. Vegeta complied with no change of pace and the children laughed happily, still counting.

“Nine, ten, eleven…!”

Tarble sat up and frowned exasperatedly when he found the PE teacher among the other kids cheering on his brother. How could they all be so bright and smiley with him? He was impossible to be around! Always so arrogant, callous, and overall just a jerk. Yesterday was probably just a fluke, some lapse in appearance as he tried to draw in the younger to a false sense of security. After all, without him he’d have nobody to show off to.

Tarble examined the crowd surrounding the older Saiyan and took back the thought. Ok, maybe not no one, but none of these people were willing to get to know him. They’d all vanish once they realized how cold and unfeeling he was. Maybe his brother was better off alone, then no one would be there to annoy him. He began shaking with anger until he could take it no longer.

“That’s nothing special, I can do that too!” He announced, climbing to his feet with his hands clenched into fists. The chanting slowly died down when the kids realized the teen had stopped. Slowly he stood, allowing the kids to slide off his back as he took his time getting to his feet.

“Oh? Is that a challenge?” Vegeta asked with a wry grin. Tarble swallowed, realizing he was completely outmatched. But then again, he was just sick of his brother getting all the attention.

“Yeah! It is!” He called back with his own devious grin. His tail gave a warning flick and the older Saiyan scoffed. 

“Fine. Let’s go.” 

Tarble felt a shudder run down his spine. He knew this was a terrible idea, but at the same time was excited by the challenge.

“Alright, coach calls out the style and everyone else is the counter. First one to miss three counts loses.”

Vegeta gave an evil grin. “Agreed.”

They both held themselves in plank position as their PE teacher gave the countdown before commencing the race. They both kept an even pace with one another as the teacher called out the first challenge.

“Right arm!” 

They both switched and kept pace, while Tarble was already beginning to breathe hard.

“Left arm!”

Tarble groaned but made the switch.

“Forty-one! Forty-two! Forty-three!”

“Both arms!”

Tarble didn’t think he’d ever done this many push-ups in his life and began feeling his arms burning, his shoulders aching, and yet still he persisted. He shouted from the exertion, forcing himself the keep up with the older Saiyan who was just beginning to break a sweat.

“Seventy-eight! Seventy-nine! Eighty!”

They’d gone through a few more left and right arm rotations and Tarble was nearing the end. He’d always outdone the state-mandated fitness exams and no one bothered to continue the tests since he’d take so long. But never in his life had he gone so far.

“Ninety-three! Ninety-four! Ninety-five!”

Tarble collapsed, his breathing labored and his arm muscles on fire. Everyone cheered at the conclusion, congratulating the older boy on his victory. Tarble continued to lay on the ground, sulking. He knew it wasn’t possible to win, and yet he was still so upset.

“Hey.”

Tarble blinked and turned to face the voice, finding his Aniki extending his arm out.

“Maybe next time you’ll win.”

He stared at the outstretched hand a moment before reaching up and taking it, allowing his older brother to pull him to his feet. He couldn’t help the large smile on his face as he went in for a hug, surprising the older boy. He allowed it though, and even wrapped his arms around the other in return.

~0~

“Aniki, if you keep this streak up, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.” Tarble warned as they left the music room on their way to lunch.

“Che. Flutes are stupid instruments anyways.” Was all the older boy replied, having already smelled the cafeteria and was much too hungry to have to wait for food any longer. Tarble could still hear the angry rantings of the music teacher, but he was much too far away to understand them completely.

“What are you going to do if they expel you one day? Mom and dad are going to be so mad!” Tarble chided as they stood in line for food.

“Like I care. Anything is better than listening to that insufferable noise.”

They both took a tray when it was their turn and presented it to one of the lunch attendants.

“It’s just one class period, and it isn’t even that bad! You certainly didn’t have to melt it with that weird laser power of yours.”

They were served their entrees and sent on through the line to pick up the rest of their lunches. The school district had allowed for the two of them to be given larger portions, which was helpful for two growing Saiyan boys.

“You’re telling me you don’t get a headache? You can barely stand listening to that one song on the radio, don’t lie to me.”

Tarble entered his and his brother’s lunch codes into the computer on their way out of their line after stocking up.

“That doesn’t count! And, I mean, I do get a headache, but it’s part of the curriculum and if I don’t pass then I just have to repeat it and that sounds even more awful.”

They sat at one of the long tables where several other students were already seated.

“Fuck this place. If your girlfriend is already making a ship, then I’ll just leave this blasted planet.”

“Aniki! That’s such a bad word!”

“Spare me.”

The older Saiyan dug into his meal, deciding it was just best to ignore the younger. He was being an insufferable nag again and the only way to deal with it was to not pay attention to him. Tarble sighed heavily, his brother was being pig-headed again and he realized already that there was no way to change his mind, it was just best to ignore him.

They ate in silence until they both finished at the same time, letting out a large exhale each and in exceptional moods after eating a meal.

“Tarble! Shou-chan! Let’s go outside and play!”

“Yeah, maybe we can play tag again!”

Tarble paled. _Anything but that…_

They all got outside and couldn’t seem to come to a decision on what to do.

“But Tarble! Tag was so fun yesterday!”

“Yeah, maybe fun for you, but I remember being smacked to the ground and eating a mouthful of dirt!” Tarble stated indignantly, glaring at his brother. The older boy just sneered at him.

“Oh! What about Flarfel Fetch?”

“Are you kidding? ! Do you want to see me tackled to the ground? ?” 

“Hey, come on, why are you still glaring at me?”

“What about Red Rover?”

“Kickball!”

“Foursquare!”

Tarble couldn’t help a shout of frustration escaping from his lips as he clasped his hands dramatically over his eyes. He could just see it now, being bowled over in Red Rover, getting tackled before he could make it off home plate, getting more rubber balls thrown into his stomach… honestly, recess with his brother was just a hazard to his health.

“Oh, I have an idea!” The littlest among them called out, jumping excitedly. Before he could say anything though, he somehow lost his balance after jumping and was just about to fall over when the elder Saiyan reflexively uncurled his tail and caught the kid before he could fall completely.

“Wow! Thanks, Shou-chan!” He called out, standing on his feet again. When Vegeta looked back at the group of kids though, they were all flabbergasted. 

“What?” He asked hesitantly, raising an eyebrow.

“Your tail!”

“Didn’t that hurt?”

The older Saiyan just stared in confusion.

“What? It’s supposed to hurt?” He asked, looking to his brother for an explanation.

“Tarble says it hurts a lot when we grab his tail. You aren’t fibbing, are you?” One of the children asked before reaching out and taking hold of Tarble’s tail. The younger Saiyan yelped in pain at the action and slumped to one knee.

“P-please let go.” He whimpered, tears brimming at his eyes. His older brother glared at the little alien as he let go, apologizing and helping the other back up.

“But how can that be?” The littlest asked, gently touching the oldest’s tail again. When he didn’t have the same reaction as Tarble, he gripped a little harder and maneuvered it up and down with a giggle. The other children soon followed after and Tarble watched as they all touched his tail with fascination. He felt a bit of something well up inside of himself accompanied with a feeling of confusion. Jealousy? It couldn’t be possible, there was no way he could be jealous of the other!

Right?

~0~

Tarble stared at the sheet of paper in front of him with dread. Division again? No matter how many times it was explained he just couldn’t get the hang of it. He tentatively glanced over at his brother’s work, just to see how far he’d gotten, and gaped. He was nearly done!

Tarble panicked. It was just so embarrassing! Here he was, a muscle-headed jock with absolutely no reading comprehension skills and he was breezing through long division like it was nothing. Tarble couldn’t stand it any longer. Maybe if he just took a quick peek, he could see how the older boy did it and then work from there…

“Tarble!”

The younger Saiyan yelped and went red in the face, slowly turning to find Ms. Marmalade giving him a disappointed stare.

“Cheating? Now, your brother I can understand, but you?” She asked, outraged by the very idea. Tarble wished he could melt into the floor and disappear through the foundation as everyone stared at him. 

“You got a problem with me tutoring my brother?” The older Saiyan demanded, not appreciating the jab she gave him about copying off Tarble’s quiz this morning.

“Tutoring? You? Forgive me if I sound dismissive, but you don’t seem the academic type, young man.” She said snidely. “I have a feeling that once you run out of elementary math, you’ll be as studious as you are with your reading homework.”

“Oh? Is that so? Then how ‘bout you pick my brain, teach.” He replied with a devious smile.

“Alright, then how about we start with the quadratic formula.” She said, a rueful grin curling her lips.

“The hell’s that?” The older Saiyan asked, not pleased if she was going to be unfair with this. Ms. Marmalade chuckled as if she’d already won.

“A spaceship traveling one hundred kilometers per minute squared is going to crash into a celestial body with a gravitational force of fifteen newtons, what speed does the ship need to be traveling to escape the pull of gravity?”

Tarble balked, that was impossible! Was his brother just expected to answer that out of thin air? Not to mention this whole situation was just ridiculous. However, he couldn’t help feeling thankful that the older boy had stepped in and saved him from having to explain what he was doing. But, then again, he was just causing all kinds of trouble for himself.

Vegeta scoffed and leaned back in his chair. “What? You expect me to know the mass of some random spaceship? And what is he trying to do, bounce off the planet or slingshot around it? Not only that, but what kind of angle of approach are we talking about?” Vegeta sat up and stood, walking around his desk and up to the whiteboard where he started writing out the scenario. He drew and poorly done diagram and wrote out what Ms. Marmalade recognized was a few quadratic equations along with the formula.

Tarble blinked but couldn’t understand a word he was saying. He glanced down at his paper, a forlorn expression on his face as he tried to imagine himself melting like a popsicle. 

~0~

Art class was as much of a disaster as music class and Tarble sighed heavily as he walked home alone. His older brother had to stay behind and wait for his parents to pick him up, along with a word from the principal. His second day and he was probably already on his last warning. Tarble wouldn’t even be surprised if this was his last day with this school. He decided he didn’t want to wait around, however, and walked home on his own. He needed some time away, at least enough to think over today. A lot had happened but what made him feel uneasy was how he was handling it.

Tarble realized this was the first time someone was actually able to compete with him. Of course, the species on this planet were very adept with knowledge-based practicum, but never once had he had to deal with someone stronger or faster than him. Even the adults on this planet were wimps compared to him. And now this even tougher, even stronger, (even taller), guy comes by and starts stealing the spotlight! Now, on the street, it was no longer strangers greeting just him, they were also saying hi to his brother, and he was a little embarrassed to admit he noticed they seemed to give the older Saiyan a more enthusiastic greeting.

Tarble kicked a rock as his mood soured. Maybe this is what other kids felt like when they got a sibling? His case was a little odd though, considering he was given an older brother instead of a younger one.

Tarble sighed even heavier, his footsteps slowing as he tried his best to stay away from home as long as possible.

“Heeey!”

Tarble glanced up as he heard someone running towards him and thought he recognized the voice.

“Gure?” He asked, confused. Why was she out now, and why hadn’t she gone to school?

“Tarble! How are you?” She asked, panting when she finally caught up.

“Uh, good, I guess. Where have you been?” He asked, confused.

“I’ve been home! Don’t worry, I’m alright. I finished the spaceship! But I have even more exciting news! Turns out, daddy was trying to get ahold of that space pod Shounen-kun landed in and he finally got it delivered to his lab this morning! So, I’ve been helping him study it all day.”

Tarble blinked at all this information. His face then brightened at the news, happy that something not involving how much cooler his brother was than him was being talked about.

“I was going to come by the school to take both of you to my place so daddy could ask Shounen-kun about anything he might recall, and to show you my creation!” She explained, blushing a bit with the thought of being alone with Tarble.

“That sounds great!” He exclaimed, his enthusiasm dying a bit when he remembered art class. “Unfortunately, Aniki is going to be a little late. He got in trouble and mom and dad have to pick him up.”

Gure chuckled, then turned back to walk home with Tarble. “That sounds like him. But we can get started and then go get him!”

Tarble nodded happily, finally walking with purpose in his step.

Just then, however, a feeling of dread crept up along his spine which caused him to shiver in response. He glanced over his shoulder, sure there was nothing behind him only to find two looming shapes towering over him. He yelped in surprise, stumbling away from the two as he looked on in fear.

“W-Who are you?” He asked, attempting to be brave for just a moment as he did his best to shield Gure behind himself.

The strangers glanced at each other, a touch of confusion in their eyes.

“Well, he was beaten pretty bad in that surveillance video. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some memory loss.” The bald one stated, to which the other just shrugged his shoulders. 

“Whatever, Frieza’s orders.”

The one with the ridiculously long hair then reached out and knocked Tarble on the back of his neck, causing him to blackout and slump forward. Gure shrieked, but the two oversized Saiyans didn’t even notice. They collected the younger and lifted off into the sky, leaving Gure shaking and alone in the middle of the sidewalk. It took her a moment to calm down and when she did, she leapt to her feet and ran as fast as she could to the school to get the only person she knew could help her.


	17. Kidnapped

“Are you sure this is the place?” Raditz asked, using his field viewer to scout the area. The land was unimpressive, the terrain was flat and uneventful, and the highest power level was sitting at about fifty.

Well, except the one reading about fifteen thousand, along with another odd spike around five hundred. The first sounded like their long-lost prince, but it was odd that there was another so high. That is, compared to the rest of this species.

“Yeah, it’s the place. That’s definitely the prince’s energy signature. But are you picking up that other reading?” Nappa asked over the communicator. Their space pods were just entering the atmosphere, headed straight for where Vegeta’s pod had landed.

“Yeah. They seem to be together though, so maybe he knew where he was going and was seeking this place out as shelter.”

Nappa silently agreed, a little surprised Raditz was able to put all that together by himself. He dropped the observation though and focused on the mission at hand.

They landed in a small field and stepped out of their pods, visually inspecting the area and finding nothing. Not even Vegeta’s space pod.

“The locals must have relocated it. These are the correct landing coordinates, but my scouter says the space pod is located a few miles away in that direction.” Nappa observed, pointing.

“And my scouter says the prince is that way.” Raditz replied, also pointing at a slightly different angle.

“Vegeta first, I suppose.” Nappa decided, taking to the air followed shortly after by the other Saiyan.

They flew for a few minutes, coming across a more residential area when the two suddenly noticed something. They both stopped and gave each other an odd look, then hit the buttons on their scouters.

“You’re seeing what I’m seeing, right?” Raditz asked.

“Uh huh.” Nappa replied. “But this guy is only reading four eighty-eight. There’s no way it’s Vegeta.”

“My scouter says the same thing, but he’s got the hairstyle. They must be defective. I swear, Frieza is the tyrant of the entire galaxy but he gives us the cheapest crap.”

“Stop your bitching and let’s just go.” Nappa said, annoyed.

They landed behind what they assumed was prince Vegeta and watched curiously as he slowly turned around with… fear in his eyes?

“W-Who are you?” The smaller Saiyan asked, visibly shaking but forcing himself to stand between the two giant men and the tiny creature behind him. Nappa and Raditz exchanged odd looks, maybe they really had stumbled across the prince’s doppelganger? Just then, Nappa thought of something.

“Well, he was beaten pretty bad in that surveillance video. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some memory loss.” He stated. Raditz silently agreed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Whatever, Frieza’s orders.”

And with that, he struck the younger on the back of the neck and hoisted him under his arm like a sack of flour. The little alien shriek but the two ignored her, not seeing her as a threat, and not bothering to carry out any kind of mass extinction. They then lifted into the air and headed off back in the direction of their space pods.

“Why did you hit him? For all you know he might already have a concussion.” Nappa chided, mostly surprised that a blow from Raditz was enough to knock the prince out. He must really be injured if that was the case.

“He’s fine, this is Vegeta we’re talking about. The same guy who would sooner rip off his own lifeless arm and beat someone to death with it than die because of some stupid concussion.” He reasoned. Nappa agreed and as they neared the space pods, Raditz could feel the other fidgeting as he came to.

They landed at the edge of the crater Raditz’s space pod had created and the long haired Saiyan set the other down on the ground, waiting for him to fully regain consciousness. When he did, he let out a small yelp.

The two large men gave each other another odd look before turning their attention to the spikey haired prince.

“W-Who are you two? And what do you want with me?” He asked in a shaky tone, sniveling a bit. Raditz knelt to be on his level, an attempt to have a better connection, but honestly it was just terrifying to poor Tarble.

“Listen, you’re from a warrior race and we’re here to take you back. You got in a fight and accidentally blasted into space, but once you come with us then the guy who did this to you is gonna go on trial and probably get killed.”

Tarble blinked, no less pacified than before.

“And, if you’re lucky, you’ll be the one to kill him!” Raditz exclaimed, smiling brightly. Unfortunately, his genuine smile was more like a vicious sneer and Tarble yelped at both what he said and his facial expression, scrambling to his feet as he attempted to flee. Nappa and Raditz watched him pathetically try to run away.

“This is worse than I thought.” Nappa muttered. Raditz rolled his eyes and blasted off after him, easily catching up and grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt.

“Damn, Oritz really got you good.” He stated as he began dragging the younger Saiyan behind him. Tarble thrashed and flailed as best he could but was pathetically weak against his kidnappers.

“Let me go! Let me go or my aniki is going to beat you up!” He threatened, attempting to twist out of the taller Saiyan’s grip. Of course, it was no use, and Raditz began dragging him down the little slope to the space pod.

“Aniki? Since when did you get a wimpy Yakuza boss?” Raditz asked with a chuckle, placing a hand on the door which recognized his handprint and opened the container. He tossed Tarble in with no effort and closed the door, leaving him trapped inside as he began banging his fists against the little window with tears in his eyes.

Raditz turned to Nappa and folded his arms.

“What do you think that was all about?” He asked. Nappa didn’t respond right away, this whole situation was just all kinds of weird to him. Neither of them had had a problem with their scouters since they were given new ones not even six months ago. Especially considering the scouters did recognize the prince’s energy signal when they were entering the planet, and also when they had landed. This kid as well was just too unlike their familiar prince. It was one thing to lose memories, but to lose touch of one’s power? Highly unlikely. And then there was the thing with the aniki. Boss? Vegeta could hardly take orders from Frieza and his upper division troups. Unless he meant…

Nappa’s eyes widened.

“Wait, Raditz, we’ve made a terrible mistake.” He said quickly, touching a finger to his scouter.

“What? What the hell are you talking about?” Raditz asked, wondering if there was some kind of gas on this planet making everyone go funny in the head.

“Not boss, what he means is…” Nappa froze, all the color draining from his face as he slowly turned around after his scouter had locked onto something. Raditz raised an eyebrow but also followed where the oldest Saiyan was looking and gaped. The two stood, petrified with fear as the real Vegeta stood at the edge of the crater, fists clenched, shoulders squared, eyes murderous, and energy swirling around him in a violent flurry.

“H-He meant brother.”

~0~

Vegeta walked down the steps of the school towards the car of Tarble’s parents, doing his best to ignore the belligerent rantings going on behind him.

“And for another thing, you are just so petulant and misbehaved! I can’t believe this is only your second day and you’ve embarrassed yourself so terribly!”

Vegeta rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets and wondering how in the world Tarble was able to put up with this woman. He was given a second chance! It’s not like he was expelled just yet. Of course, the principal had said that if he made one more disruption before the end of the school year that he would be slapped with two weeks of in school suspension. Whatever that meant.

Just then, little footsteps came tromping up to the three of them and the Saiyan was surprised to see the little alien girl. What was her name…?

“Shounen-kun! !” She shouted as best she could, making more of a hoarse cry that he could barely hear over all her heavy breathing. “It’s… it’s….” She bent forward to catch her breath, to which Tarble’s mom placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Gure, dear, what’s the matter?” She asked, terribly worried.

Ah, yes, Gure. What a weird name.

“It’s! It’s!” She tried again, only to fail miserably as she tried catching her breath.

“Spit it out already.” He stated coldly, earning a glare from the woman. Before she could say anything though, Gure swallowed heavily and reached forward to grip Vegeta’s tunic.

“It’s… Tarble… two men…. That way!” She finally managed to say, pointing a shaky finger. The Saiyan’s eyes went wide just before he shot off into the air, leaving the little girl to collapse into the arms of Tarble’s parents.

He flew as fast as possible in the direction she indicated, but after a few minutes he wondered if he should’ve stuck around to get more information. Just then, he noticed something out of the ordinary in the distance. Two craters had been carved into the ground with what looked to be space pods in the center.

Space pods like he’d arrived here in.

And at the edge of these craters were two large men, one with extremely long hair, and the other bald. Both looked very displaced on this planet, and the one with long hair had something in his grip.

More like someone, Vegeta instantly recognized his little brother and watched as the kid was thrown into one of the space pods before the door was shut.

His anger went from red fury to blinding white rage as he increased his speed and arrived panting at the edge of the crater just before the two men turned around. They both gaped at his arrival, stunned to see him standing there, and also seemed terrified at the same time.

 _Good._ He thought, cracking his knuckles.

“What do you mean he has a brother!” Raditz shouted just before prince Vegeta came barreling after them. The two dodged just in the nick of time only to have the young prince whip around and rush them again.

“King Vegeta had another son a few months before the asteroid struck, but he was too weak!” Nappa attempted to explain as the prince snarled and threw several punches at the large bald man. Nappa blocked a few but was eventually struck in the stomach and then smacked into the dirt below. Raditz blew a ki-blast at the younger Saiyan but missed and had to quickly retreat before Vegeta could send his fist straight through his lung.

“He was never given a name, and he was sent away in one of the infant exploration pods! I thought they’d all been accounted as failures, but somehow this child was wiped from the database!”

Nappa managed to distract the prince from going after Raditz and regretted the action when a roundhouse kick collided with his ear. He was sent flying several yards away before rolling to a stop. He quickly pushed himself away before the younger’s boot crushed his ribs to dust, and instead the kid’s attack smashed a hole in the ground. He wasn’t thrown off his game, however, and used this chance to grab Nappa by his armor and spin him like a shotput. He let go after a good windup and chucked him back in the direction of the space pods before taking aim with the palm of his hand and shooting a ki-blast to hit him midair.

Nappa landed on the ground sore and bleeding, glancing over to find Raditz and saw him holding something in his hands and aiming it at what he assumed was the prince flying over to finish the job. A single shot was heard before something came to a skittering stop beside him and Nappa quickly hopped to his feet despite the horrible aches in every corner of his body. He looked over to see Vegeta had some sort of weird pink fuzzy thing stuck in his collar bone. The younger yanked it out and examined the thing before clenching it in his fist and reducing it to dust.

Just then, Nappa’s brain registered what had happened.

“Tranquilizers? Where the hell did you get those?” He asked, amazed.

“No time, distract him before he kills us both!” Raditz replied, finishing loading the next dart before hightailing it to find a new position. Nappa agreed, hating that he was the bait but allowing Raditz to take charge.

He shot a blast from his fingertip, gaining the teen’s attention and noticing an extreme sluggishness to his reaction time. However, his fists were still just as powerful and Nappa regretted letting his guard down as he took a punch to the cheek, another under his jaw, and the final in his chest. He fell back and wheezed pathetically, feeling as his eye was beginning to swell up. Vegeta, on the other hand, was swaying in a daze and having obvious trouble using the arm closest to where the dart had hit, when suddenly another one was lodged into his thigh.

Vegeta snarled, yanking the dart form his leg and seeming to recognize what he was being hit with which caused him to be even angrier. He didn’t even bother chasing the other Saiyan to give him a beatdown and instead aimed his palm to deliver a large and powerful ki-blast at Raditz. The long-haired Saiyan was sent flying, his dart gun disintegrating in the explosion. Nappa paled, fully expecting to be given the same treatment only for the prince to fly right by him. 

Vegeta landed at the space pod containing his brother and placed his hands against the glass, finding Tarble with a large, excited smile behind it. Relief of his brother’s safety flowed through him and he stepped back to aim a blast at the door to open it. The explosion did most of the work, but then he also took hold of the door and ripped it from where it was latched, freeing Tarble.

“Aniki!” He called out, jumping into his brother’s arms who gripped him just as tight. They hugged for a moment before Vegeta carved out through the fog of his mind that they still had to get out of there. He opened his eyes to find the large bald one standing at the edge of the crater and aimed his palm at the other, taking the chance to knock him back with one final ki-blast before taking off into the sky.

Nappa lay still on the ground, staring up at the sky and trying to understand what just happened.

~0~

A/N: there it is, my entire inspiration for this whole story. just took me 17 chapters to get there T.T thanks for reading, and please review!


	18. Departure

Gure paced back and forth in her bedroom, her heart still beating like crazy.

Where they alright? Did Shounen-kun get there in time? Or was Tarble kidnapped for good, stolen away to live the rest of his life as Frieza’s minion?

Gure shook her head. It didn’t make sense! Why would they come for Tarble now? She could understand if they were here for his older brother, but why Tarble? They did look incredibly similar, but they were like completely different people. Without their looks, no one in their right mind would mistake one for the other. Maybe these two didn’t know Tarble existed? Afterall, there wouldn’t be any record of him being alive since this planet was misclassified all those years ago.

And maybe that was the reason. Maybe someone didn’t want the galaxy to know Tarble was alive.

Gure collapsed her head in her hands. If only she could do something! However, just then, she thought of an idea. No matter what, it was clear that the planet was now traceable. Her people were no longer safe hiding behind a mislabeling on the planet and it was only a matter of time before the Frieza Force realized their mistake and invaded this world.

There were two options at this point. Either Tarble was kidnapped and needed to be rescued from space, or Shounen-kun had saved him but needed to leave to fix what had led these two extraterrestrials to land here.

Either way, Tarble’s older brother needed a ship, and so Gure ran as fast as she could to her father’s lab to work on her new spaceship.

~0~

Tarble screeched and braced himself for their inevitable collision with the ground. His brother had been flying around like a drunk for a while now and he was sincerely surprised they were able to make it all the way back to his neighborhood. The older Saiyan still had enough sense left in him to not smash his brother into the concrete in order to brace his fall, and instead took most of the impact himself. After all, he probably wouldn’t feel it until these blasted sedatives were out of his system. The two boys stood shakily, one far less stable than the other as he teetered off away from Tarble’s home.

Tarble gaped, where did he think he was going in his condition? !

“Aniki!” He called out, dashing after him. He was limping a bit, but he knew it was nothing serious. He watched as his brother climbed the stoop of one of the neighbor’s and grabbed his hand, stopping him before he got to the door.

“Gure? Which is Gure’s?” He slurred, shaking his head in an attempt to stay awake.

“What? This is the Pebbles’ home. Gure is two doors that way.” He said, pointing a bit further down the street. Vegeta grunted and stumbled down the stairs in the direction.

“Wait! Aniki, what do you think you’re doing?” He asked, following. He was surprisingly mobile after getting hit with two tranquilizer darts.

Vegeta wanted to tell him that they were in danger, possibly this entire planet was in danger of being revealed as mis-documented. Tarble’s way of life, this species’ entire existence, and possibly the whole stellar system was in peril of an invasion. The inhabitants would be enslaved or killed, Tarble would be taken away and used as a tool of mass destruction, and the planet would be stripped of what meager resources it contained.

“Gotta… get… space…”

Tarble raised an eyebrow in confusion. Unfortunately, the part of Vegeta’s brain responsible for converting thought to speech had crashed shortly after the second dart had struck him. Right now he was operating on whatever braincells were still awake, and it was very concerning to watch.

The two didn’t even get halfway up Gure’s stoop before the front door of her home flew open and revealed the little alien herself.

“This way!”

The three ran through her house and down a flight of steps to be met with the basement door. She typed a few symbols into a keypad which revealed a fingerprint analyzer, which then revealed a retina examiner, which then revealed a keyboard where she quickly typed in a very long and complicated password.

Vegeta was too tired to come up with some kind of negative response and instead did his best to follow after the other two. His vision was starting to get fuzzy and go sideways, and he noticed his hearing was fading in and out. He had to get in the spaceship, set the destination, and lock in the autopilot before he passed out, and it wasn’t looking good. He nearly stumbled into Tarble who was standing staring at something like an idiot. Didn’t he know he was in the way? What was he even looking at?

The older boy followed his younger brother’s gaze and found Gure’s ship, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. 

It looked like a tricked-out hovering sports car with a bubble dome where the cockpit was. The style was trendy and looked nothing like anyone on this planet was capable of building, and it was red.

“Nice.”

The older Saiyan hopped into the front seating area, admiring the craftsmanship until he saw the other little seat behind the driver’s side. He suddenly remembered a conversation that’d happened and when he looked up, he found Tarble trying to climb into the passenger’s side.

“Nuh uh, no way.” Vegeta said, using a foot to nudge Tarble in the shoulder. He meant to only give him a slight push but ended up shoving him onto the floor with a yelp.

“Aniki, what the heck!”

“You’re. Not. Coming. How am I supposed to make this anymore clear?” He said carefully, attempting not to slur his words together.

“But…!”

“NO!”

And with that, Vegeta found the right sequencing buttons with ease. He revved the engine and lifted into the air, figuring Gure must have used a lot of the schematics from the space pod he’d crashed here in. The domed hatch was just closing, and before he could say anything, Tarble dove into the cockpit and sprawled awkwardly across the two front seats.

“What did I just…!” He was caught mid-sentence by the ceiling overhead suddenly rolling open. These people really had tricked out their house to a ridiculous extent, but more importantly he noticed that if he squinted at the sky, he could see two figures floating there.

“Damn!” He called out, shoving Tarble to sit up correctly. He yanked what he assumed was a seatbelt over Tarble’s head, also reaching over him to pull up the belts on either side of his waist, securing them to the harness at his chest level. He took hold of the steering mechanism in his hands and aimed for the two figures, then blasted straight at them with no regard to the laboratory he’d ejected from.

Gure braced herself against the wind, then watched as they shot off into the sky. They flew right by the two men who veered off in another direction, probably attempting to get to their vehicles as well. She stared as the two departed until she realized she had tears in her eyes. She hoped this wasn’t goodbye forever and that they’d be back, but she could feel in her heart that it was a long shot. She clenched her fists, knowing it was foolish of her to have dreamed of going with them to space. And if Tarble hadn’t jumped into the ship at the last minute, she was sure the older boy would’ve truly left him behind.

Of course, it probably would’ve been a better idea. It was a dangerous place out there.

~0~

Raditz struggled to keep up with Nappa as they raced in the direction of the prince. Man, what he wouldn’t give to clock that spoiled brat in the teeth… his anger inspired him to fly faster and as the two were within rage of Vegeta they stopped.

“My scouter says he’s around here somewhere, but where…” Nappa was cut off when the ground at one of the houses started splitting open. They both stared, flabbergasted, until they could see some sort of red machine sitting at the bottom of the hole.

“Is that…”

“Looks like it.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the machine lifted into the air and rocketed straight for them. They barely dodged in time, spinning around to see it soaring higher and higher into the sky.

“Were they making faces at us? ?” Raditz demanded, furious.

“Come on! We have to go after them!” Nappa shouted back, in no mood to deal with Raditz’s bad attitude. They flew towards their space pods only to notice something rather inconvenient. 

“Well, what the hell am I supposed to do!” Raditz exclaimed, indicating his ruined vessel.

“Just shut up and get in!” Nappa barked from the seat of his own pod, losing more patience by the second. Raditz wanted to decline but knew if he did then Nappa would just leave him on the planet. As much as he was willing to kill every creature on this worthless rock while waiting for a spaceship towing service to pick him up, he was sure the Prince would eventually come back to his senses and then possibly wonder why the species had been eradicated. He groaned like a petulant teenager and squeezed himself into the tiny pod, having to finagle his way behind the seat so the door could close. It wasn’t the first time the Saiyan trio had lost a space pod, but it had certainly been quite some time. The worst incident was probably when both Raditz and Vegeta had had their pods damaged and all three somehow squeezed into Nappa’s. That hadn’t been an enjoyable experience in the least, and it was a wonder all three of them were still alive.

Soon enough they were also rocketing into the sky, heading after the two Saiyan princes as they reached the outer atmosphere. 

When the two boys were finally in outer space and far enough away from the planet’s gravitational pull, Vegeta flipped a few more switches and pushed a few more buttons. His dexterity was nearly shot as his fingers stumbled over the controls, almost always touching the wrong switches first. 

“Aniki, what are you…” Tarble was cut off when his brother held up a finger and pressed it against the younger’s lips to shush him. They stared at each other a moment until the older one realized he was trying to say something.

“Tarble, ya gotta pay attention.” He said, pulling away and reaching behind himself to grab his own seatbelt. “I can’t stay awake much longer… but autopilot is set… should be fast enough to get away from those two… fuck I’m tired…” He instructed, his hands slipping and having a hard time doing what they were told. He eventually managed to secure himself, rolling his head to look over his shoulder at his brother once more.

“Ya listening?” He asked, blinking drearily. Tarble nodded. “Good. If anything. ANYTHING goes wrong, you fuckin’ wake me up.” He ordered, Tarble nodded. Vegeta glared at the flimsy reply, his eyes narrowing. “DO YOU GOT IT?”

“Yes!” Tarble shouted back, still amazed at his brother’s tenacity. The teen nodded, satisfied, then immediately passed out. His head slumped against the headrest, his shoulders drooped like they’d lost all the stress that’d been holding them rigid, and his breathing was almost immediately heavy with sleep.

Tarble blinked, alarmed that the change had been so drastic. He reached out and poked the older boy in the cheek, but he was entirely unresponsive.

He then realized he was alone on a spaceship hurdling through the galaxy and he wasn’t even sure where they were going. He drummed his fingers on his knees a bit, wondering if there was anything that could capture his interest since he was too excited to simply fall asleep.

A spaceship.

He was on a SPACESHIP.

IN SPACE.

An enormous smile lit up his face as he looked out and all around. The view was spectacular, better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. He just wished he had even the slightest knowledge on how this thing operated. He looked down at the controls, amazed at all the buttons and lights. There was also a touchscreen monitor in the center of the dash and Tarble figured there was no harm in touching it.

He reached out and poked the screen, giddy when it came to life and displayed the coordinates that were to be their destination. He then remembered Gure had said something about downloading the galactic star charts into this vehicle, which meant it might even give a description of their destination. He pressed a few more options and was rewarded with a brief summary of the planet.

“Planet Oyasuumi is a quiet farming planet with little galactic significance. It’s one of the many suppliers of food for Frieza’s army, but harbors little status otherwise.” 

Tarble frowned a bit. When he imagined going on this adventure, he thought they’d be going places that were much cooler, like smugglers’ dens or seedy establishments. He glanced out of the corner of his eye to make sure his brother was still asleep and gave a dastardly grin when he was. He scrolled through a few other planets in the database until one caught his eye.

“Planet Ongar was once home to some of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy. Due to the strength of its people and the meager supply of precious minerals, the Cold Army decided it wasn’t worth trying to conquer the species and instead registered the planet as the galactic jailhouse. The worst of the worst criminals are sent here to live the rest of their lives in misery and pestilence.”

Tarble thought it over for a minute but ultimately deflated. As exciting as it would be to go somewhere like that, it would also be horribly terrifying. He couldn’t fight and his brother was still recovering from whatever fight he’d had before even landing in his space pod. He sighed lightly, deciding when the older regained some of his memories he might recall a dive bar he could take Tarble or something. He reached forward to exit out of the page only to reach a little too far and press the wrong button.

Tarble went white.

“Recalculating course.”

Tarble panicked at the voice coming from the touchscreen. He pleaded in a whisper under his breath, trying his best to undo what he’d done but was somehow unable to fix this mess. The ship shifted course ever so slightly as they hurdled through space straight for Planet Ongar.


End file.
